Avalon
by The Blue Raven
Summary: A sorceress summons Sydney and Nigel to the magical realm of Avalon during spring break. Shippiness and supernatural happenings abound... All parts up
1. Calm Before the Storm

**Avalon**

by: Blue

**Summary:** A sorceress summons Sydney and Nigel to the magical realm of Avalon during spring break. Shippiness and supernatural happenings abound...

**Rating:** PG-13

**Disclaimer:** Don't own them, just borrowing. I promise to give them back. Eventually.

**Note:** This is a sequel to my previous Relic Hunter fics (The Cauldron of Cerridwyn, Heart of Gold, and Working it Out), which means that Sydney and Nigel are starting to explore the possibility of a romantic relationship. If you don't like it, you still have the chance to run...

**Note:** Yes, I know that I'm butchering the Arthurian Avalon tradition here. Poetic license, right? This is more based on pre-Arthurian myths and legends of the Sidhe and a more recent, if somewhat revisionist, take on the myth of Avalon. Fear not, Nigel will explain it all later... :)

**Feedback:** Yes, please... Feed me, feed me!!!

**Chapter 1 -- Calm Before the Storm**

"So, Nigel, big plans for spring break?" Karen asked as she worked on getting the last of the grades entered.

Nigel shrugged absently. "Not really, no. Just... you know, hang about campus, get some reading done, things of that nature..." he said evasively.

"Exciting..." Karen muttered sarcastically.

Nigel grinned. "Don't worry, Karen, I'm sure you'll have more than enough fun in Barbados for all three of us."

Karen grinned. "Well, I certainly plan to try."

"Just try not to get arrested, okay?" Sydney asked, walking out of her office and handing Nigel a stack of papers. "File these, will you, Nigel?"

"Sure, Syd." He nodded and dropped the papers into his lap, rolling his chair across the floor to the file cabinet.

Sydney started back to her office, then stopped. "Oh, hey!" she said. "You saw the physical therapist today, didn't you?" she asked.

"I did, yes." Nigel nodded and pulled the drawer open, maneuvering his leg, still covered in a heavy cast, out of the way. "He says that, with luck, I should regain my full range of motion."

"Oh, that's great, Nigel." Sydney smiled broadly.

"Good news." Karen grinned and nodded. "When's the cast come off?"

"Not soon enough..." Nigel grumbled, shaking his head. "They want to keep it on for at least two more months."

"Eww..." Karen muttered, frowning.

"Sorry, Nigel." Sydney said with an apologetic shrug before returning to her office.

"Doesn't it itch?" Karen asked as she entered the last grade.

"Only when I think about it..." Nigel told her with a shrug. "It's easier if I can just totally immerse myself in work."

"Not that that's _ever_ a stretch for you." Karen grinned and shook her head, logging on to the Internet as she spoke. "You're _always _working or studying. What do you do for _fun_, Nigel?"

"I enjoy working and studying, Karen. They are fun..." Nigel muttered without looking up from his filing.

"Filing is fun?" Karen asked, shaking her head. "Hey, computer says you guys are in for some nasty weather." She smiled. "Lucky me, I won't be here for it."

"Unless the storms shut down the airport..." Sydney said, leaning out of her office. "They made the front page of the paper this morning. Apparently they did some serious damage in the Midwest and now it's our turn."

"Well, I am _not_ going to be stuck here when I could be in Barbados..." Karen said, shaking her head.

"Take off early..." Sydney suggested. "See if you can get an earlier flight."

"Wow, Syd. Really?"

Sydney nodded and shrugged. "Why not. Nigel and I can finish up here. There's not much left to do."

Karen smiled. "Thanks, Syd." She rose and picked up her coat. "Won't be needing this where I'm going."

Nigel smiled and waved as she left. "Have a nice spring break, Karen."

"Yeah, Nigel, you too. Try to get your nose out of a book for a little while." 

"If you insist." Nigel smiled absently. "Bye, Karen."

"Bye, Nigel. Bye, Syd." Karen waved and left, humming a Beach-Boy's tune under her breath.

Sydney grinned and shook her head, closing and locking the door behind her. "She's hyped."

"Of course she is. I mean... _Barbados_!" Nigel said, in imitation of Karen's excited tone. "Not that I blame her for wanting to get away. The weather here _has_ been rather dismal lately." He grinned and slid the filing cabinet shut. "Are we, uh... still on for dinner?" he asked hesitantly, rolling the chair back to his desk.

Shaking her head, Sydney walked over to join him, sitting on the edge of his desk. "Why is it that every time you ask that, Nigel, you sound like you think I'm going to say 'no'?"

Nigel shrugged and glanced up at her shyly. "Perhaps I still am, Syd." He gave an embarrassed smile. "I mean... a week ago I never would have guessed that we'd be... whatever it is we are."

Sydney laughed softly. "Exploring, I think is the word. Testing the waters."

Nigel grinned. "Well, I think I can safely say that the water feels fine from over here..."

"Yeah?" Sydney asked, grinning and leaning towards him.

Nigel nodded. She was wearing one of those tight-fitting, low-cut tops she favored. "View's not bad either..." Nigel teased, grinning at her.

"_Nigel_!" Sydney laughed and tossed a file at him. 

"Well, I'm sorry, Syd. You can't dress like you do and expect me to maintain my professional detachment _all_ the time." He shrugged helplessly.

"Ah, but, Nigel, we aren't doing professional detachment any more..." Sydney reminded him.

"We're still playing at it..." Nigel reminded her gently.

"Right." Sydney sighed and shook her head. "Because this... whatever it is that we have is breaking about a dozen rules even if we don't decide to get any more serious."

"Tell you what, Syd..." Nigel said thoughtfully. "Let's run away together. To a college that hasn't established any rules on fraternization yet."

Sydney laughed. "It's good to see you in a good mood again, Nigel."

He smiled. "It's good to be in one again. Thank you, Syd."

"Hey, just doing my part for the cause. If I'd have known that it was going to loosen you up this much, I'd have started going out with you years ago."

Nigel grinned. "You know, Syd, I'm feeling a _very_ strong urge to break a rule..."

Sydney grinned and leaned forward, brushing her lips against his cheek. "Which rule, Nigel?" she whispered in his ear.

He grinned. "Um... This one will do just fine..." he whispered. "Green light, Syd?" he asked, his eyes sparkling.

"Green light, Nigel."

Nigel laughed and licked his lips. It had been less than a week since their first 'real' kiss, and he still got nervous every time he was about to kiss her. He suspected that Sydney liked it that way, so he did not try too hard to change. He rather liked the nervous anticipation himself. For her part, Sydney just appreciated being around a man who viewed her as more than an attractive woman. It did not hurt that Nigel was an excellent kisser, as he once again proved.

"Wow..." he breathed softly, pulling away from her.

Sydney grinned and nodded. "Wow, indeed. Where'd you learn to kiss like that, Nigel?" she asked with a grin, leaning back on his desk.

"Um, I'm going to have to claim the Fifth on that question, Syd." Nigel grinned at her. "Want to get out of here? Take in a museum?"

She nodded. "Museums are nice."

"There's a new exhibit downtown. It's on Egypt, I believe. Want to go point out mistakes in the tour-guide's lecture?"

"And they say that the academically inclined don't know how to have fun." Sydney laughed and nodded. "And afterward, we can go on a picnic."

"A picnic, Syd?" Nigel asked, grinning. "You're joking?"

She shook her head. "I once heard that they're romantic."

"Hmm... A romantic afternoon with Sydney Fox? As if there's more than one answer to such a proposition." Nigel smiled and rose. After arranging his crutches, he offered her his arm. "Milady."

Sydney laughed and accepted his arm.

***

They selected a nice, secluded area in a copse of trees for their picnic.

"That was nice..." Sydney said with a yawn. "Did you see the look on that tour-guide's face?" she asked as she caught Nigel's arm and helped him lower himself onto the ground.

"Thanks, Syd. Which look, exactly?" he asked, smiling faintly. "The one that said 'what did I do to deserve this' or the one that said 'maybe I should just let them take over the tour'?"

Sydney laughed and nodded. "Both, actually."

"Well, I'm sorry, but they've no business putting people who know nothing about a subject in charge of tours on it."

Sydney grinned. "Hungry?" she asked, nodding towards the basket.

"Not particularly, no. You?"

"Not really." She shook her head. "Let's just relax for a while." She stretched out on the ground next to him, her hands over her head.

Nigel smiled down at her as she provided him with yet another excellent view. She really was an incredibly attractive woman on top of all of her other attributes. "You look tired."

"Just a little. Long week with midterms and everything." She smiled up at him. "This is nice, Nigel."

"Yes, the weather's holding nicely."

"That's not what I meant." Sydney smiled and shook her head. "_This_, Nigel. Us."

He blushed and grinned down at her. "It really is, Syd. You're right." He rested his hands on the ground on either side of her and leaned close. "It's all rather like a very wonderful dream. Except for where I wake up in the morning..." he trailed off, realizing what he had just implied. 

He had _meant _that when he woke up in the morning he was still in the wonderful dream, but judging from Sydney's shocked and amused expression, it had not come out that way at all. She laughed as he attempted a stammered explanation. 

Abruptly, she grabbed him by the shirt with both hands and pulled him even closer. "I _know_ what you meant, Nigel..." She grinned at him. That surprised, embarrassed look on his face was adorable beyond words.

"Oh, right, then..." He nodded shakily. "Because I would never want to imply... Not that it would be _bad_ to wake up next to you..." he trailed off again, looking mortified as he realized that he had done it again. "I've done it again, haven't I? Oh, bloody hell..."

They laughed together then for several minutes. Shaking her head and grinning at him, Sydney pulled him onto the ground next to her, then rolled on top of him, reversing their positions. The memory of a comment she had made to him earlier that same day about liking to be on top in her relationships sent them both into fresh gales of laughter.

The truth, of course, was that Nigel would not have minded waking up next to Sydney in the least, but he was more than happy with their relationship exactly as it was now, relaxed, casual, and, above all, _fun_. Somehow he felt that sleeping with her this early on would only have cheapened the nature of their relationship. So he was more than happy to wait.

Sydney, for her part, felt much the same, if for different reasons. Their newfound romantic attachment was still fairly tenuous. Not that it could not have stood up to all kinds of pressure exactly as their friendship had, but it remained to be seen if it could truly stand on its own. Sleeping with Nigel now could ruin not only their romantic relationship, but also their friendship and their working relationship. It would not be the first time that she had lost a close friend in that way, so she was grateful that Nigel seemed content to wait.

As their laughter died down, he smiled up at her and lightly brushed her cheek. "Syd, you are absolutely amazing..."

She smiled and blushed faintly. God, who was the last man to have been able to get _that_ response from her. "You aren't so bad yourself, Nigel."

"I have got to be the luckiest man alive..." He shook his head in amazement as he stared up at her.

Sydney grinned. "Well, Nigel, I'll tell you this much. Dating you has been _great_ for my ego."

Nigel laughed. Stopping abruptly, he stared over her shoulder. "Syd, I think this might be a good time to run for cover..."

Sydney frowned and glanced at a sky which was almost black, despite the fact that it was just after two in the afternoon. "Yeah, I'm going to have to second that." She climbed to her feet and helped Nigel up as well. "Think we can reach the car before the rain starts?" she asked.

A streak of lightening illuminated the darkening woods, followed almost immediately by a crash of thunder. The wind whistled through the trees, causing the branches to rustle. Nigel glanced at Sydney. He could almost swear that he heard thousands of voices whispering at once. She was looking around, alarmed.

"Where did we park, Nigel?"

"That way." He pointed. "We'll have to run if we want to get there ahead of the rain..."

Sydney nodded and caught his arm, breaking into a half-run. She did not go faster because, on his crutches, Nigel _could_ not. She shook her head in disgust as they hurried down the path, leaving the picnic basket behind. What had she been thinking, proposing a picnic when thunderstorms and tornados were in the forecast.

"Syd, over there..." Nigel shouted over the howling wind, pointing to a small rock outcropping. "It'll at least keep us dry."

She nodded and they hurried to it, managing to hide under it mere moments before the rain started. There was barely enough room for both of them to huddle under the outcropping, and it would have been almost romantic if the temperature had not so suddenly dropped. Nigel stripped off his jacket and wrapped it around Sydney's shoulders. After all, she had much less shirt on than him.

She smiled gratefully and slid an arm around his shoulder, pulling him close so that they could share the jacket. Nigel smiled at her. Chivalry did, after all, have its advantages.

"Thanks, Syd. Think it'll let up soon?"

Sydney stared out at the teaming rain with a shrug. "Don't know. I hope so, though. I forgot to roll the car windows up."

"Ouch."

"So, we just wait it out?" Sydney asked with a sigh.

Nigel nodded. "I think so. That wind's strong enough to knock down trees, and then there's the lightening..."

She nodded. "So we just wait. Wish I'd thought to grab the picnic basket..." she trailed off and grinned at Nigel. "You know, it's actually kind of romantic. In a... soggy sort of way."

Nigel, whose cast was starting to get waterlogged, nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose it really is." He sidled a little closer to Sydney under the jacket,  grinning at her.

Sydney smiled at him. "Well, it's not exactly the romantic picnic I had in mind, but I think it'll do..." She rested her head on Nigel's shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. "At least we have to keep each other warm..." she teased.

Nigel stared at her for a moment, surprised, then slid his arms around her. "Wouldn't want you to get cold..."


	2. Not in Kansas Anymore

**Chapter 2 -- Not in Kansas Anymore**

"Well, I think it's finally letting up..." Sydney announced after what felt like hours. Despite their shelter, they were both thoroughly soaked and freezing. "How're you holding up, Nigel?"

"Well, my cast seems to be melting, but otherwise I'm just fine..." Nigel muttered, shivering. 

Sydney sighed and nodded. "Okay, let's get you back to the car..." she muttered, climbing to her feet then helping Nigel up.

"Thanks..." he said, rearranging his crutches. At his first step, the crutches sunk several inches into the muddy ground, causing Nigel to lose his balance. He grabbed onto the nearest solid object he could find for support, namely Sydney. "Oh, that's just great!" Nigel exclaimed, disgusted.

"Hey, look on the bright side..." Sydney suggested, grinning at him and helping him regain his balance.

"_Is_ there a bright side?" he asked, staring at her.

Sydney nodded and glanced around thoughtfully. "Well, the sun seems to be coming out, and it's warmer already." Sydney grinned at him and slid one arm under his shoulder, pulling his arms around her. "And you get to walk back to the car like this."

Nigel laughed softly. "Ah, the silver lining. You're right, Syd, I feel better already."

"Somehow I thought you might." She smiled at him. "Just lean on me, Nigel. You're in good hands."

"So I'd noticed..."

Sydney laughed. "_Nigel_!"

"Sorry, Syd..." Nigel said, trying to look contrite and failing horribly. "Okay, which way to the car?"

"Um, that's a good question..." Sydney looked around for a moment to get her bearings, then pointed. "That way."

Nigel nodded. "That's right. Because we came from back there."

"Right."

As they slowly set off, Nigel observed quietly, "Everything looks much different than it did."

"Well, between the rain and those high winds, that's not really surprising..." Sydney told him.

"No, suppose not. What surprises me is that it's sunny again."

Sydney stared at him, frowning curiously. "What do you mean?"

He tried to shrug, but realized that it was an almost impossible maneuver with both of his arms around Sydney and both of hers around him. "Well, the paper said that we were basically in for three days of non-stop nastiness once the front rolled in."

"Must have been the squall-line." Sydney shrugged. "Count your blessings, Nigel."

"Okay." He grinned at her and nuzzled her ear. "One."

She glanced at him, laughing. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Nigel..."

He laughed with her as they kept walking. "I think we're lost, Syd..." he said after several minutes. "We should have hit the path some time ago."

"Wait..." She frowned. "Did we even _leave_ the path, Nigel?"

"I guess we must have when we took shelter."

Sydney stopped and shook her head. "No, this is wrong, Nigel. We were in a tiny little stand of trees, less than a minute's walk from end to end."

Nigel nodded, looking around with a concerned frown. "And this is an actual forest..."

Sydney nodded agreement, but forced herself to remain calm. "Yeah, it is, Nigel."

Concern wanted very badly to give way to panic, but Nigel did his best to obey Sydney's injunction to stay calm. "This can't be good, Syd..." he muttered.

"No, it can't."

"Um, so... what do we do now?"

"Good question." Sydney shook her head and looked around, assessing the situation. No land-mines, no headhunters, no guerilla fighters, no governments collapsing around their heads, so they _had_ been in worse places than this, but never this close to home, and never quite so unexpectedly. "Let's just stay calm and think about what happened."

Nigel nodded. "Yeah, that's a good plan. Um, let's see, first we annoyed the tour-guide at the museum."

"And then we came out here for the picnic. Did we fall asleep?" she asked, trying to remember. It was possible, however remotely, that something could have happened then.

Nigel considered for a moment, then shook his head. "Um, you _did_ seem tired, but I don't think either of us actually fell asleep at any point." He sighed. "Which seems to rule out the possibility that we were moved here..." He shook his head. "Wherever _here_ is."

"_Here_ is private property..." a low voice informed them.

They slowly looked up at the woman who had approached them on horseback, completely unnoticed. She was young, no more than eighteen, with long black hair in a neat braid. Her clothes were rustic, suede breeches and a green tunic. She had blue-gray eyes and angular features which currently seemed less than hospitable. Or perhaps her expression only seemed inhospitable because she had a crossbow trained on them.

"Um, hello..." Nigel began, swallowing hard.

"You are strangers. Who are you and what are you doing on this land?" she demanded, never raising her voice.

"Um, I'm Sydney Fox and this is my friend Nigel Bailey. We didn't mean to trespass on your land." 

Nigel nodded in agreement. "We just... lost our way."

She considered them dubiously for a moment before responding. "Quite a trick that would be, considering that the nearest town to ours is three day's ride from here." She shook her head in obvious disgust. "Try again. The truth this time, please."

"That _was_ the truth!" Nigel protested. "We were having a picnic when it started to rain..."

"Why do you persist in lying to me?" she asked quietly. "Most men know better." She shook her head and glanced skyward. "However, you seem harmless enough. You should come with me to my village. It will be dark soon enough and you would do well to be safely indoors before that."

"We're not afraid of the dark..." Sydney informed her flatly.

She fixed Sydney with an expressionless stare. "You should be. Not all the Sidhe in these parts are friendly, especially to strangers. And then there are the wolves to consider."

"_Wolves_?" Nigel gasped, horrified.

"Sidhe?" Sydney repeated, drawing her brows together in confusion.

Nigel stared at Sydney then at the girl. "Sidhe? Did you say... _Sidhe_?" he gasped. "Fairies?"

The girl rolled her eyes in disgust. "Haven't heard _that_ name for them since my grandmother died. Makes them sound so harmless, doesn't it? Well, they _aren't_. And if you know what's good for you, you'll take me up on my offer to escort you back to the village."

Sydney held up one finger. "Um, hang on a second." She grabbed Nigel. "Fairies? Wolves?" she hissed.

He nodded weakly. "Um, Syd, I'm guessing we aren't in Kansas any more..." he replied in a whisper.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm guessing that's a fair assumption. Which begs the question..."

"Where are we?" Nigel nodded and sighed. "Only one way to find out, isn't there?" He looked up and addressed the girl in a normal voice. "This is going to sound like a strange question, but... where are we?"

"Is your friend the village idiot?" she asked Sydney. "Or a court jester?"

Nigel stared at her, offended. "I, young lady, am a Doctoral candidate! I went to Oxford!"

"Cool it, Nigel..." Sydney suggested. "Remember who in this picture has the deadly weapon."

Nigel trailed off abruptly, nodding. "Good point, Syd."

"It was an honest question..." Sydney told the girl.

"Travelers with no supplies who have no idea where they are or how they came to be here. You will want to talk to my Lady. She will give you the answers you seek." She looked at Nigel again. "What's that on your foot?"

"Well, it _was_ a cast. Now it's a soggy mess."

She nodded and slid lightly from her horse. "Your leg is broken? You may ride, then."

"Um..." Nigel shook his head and started to back away.

The girl smiled reassuringly and gently caught Nigel's shoulder. "He is a gentle beast. No harm will come to you, good sir."

Nigel flushed slightly. "No, it isn't that. It's just that..." He pointed to his cast. "I'm afraid I'm in no shape to climb aboard."

She nodded and clicked her tongue twice and the horse dropped onto its front knees. "Better?" she asked, offering him her hand.

"Just get on the horse, Nigel..." Sydney suggested.

Nigel awkwardly pulled himself on to the horse. She had been right. He was very gentle. Most horses would not have tolerated his fumbling attempts to mount. Once he was on its back, the girl clicked her tongue again and he slowly rose.

"Draig, forward..." the girl muttered, patting the horse on the flank.

"That's a pretty name..." Sydney told her as the horse obediently set off, followed by the two women.

"Thank you, milady."

"I don't think I caught your name."

"Brenna, acolyte to Audra."

"So you're studying to become a... shaman?" Nigel asked.

She stared at him in mild confusion for a moment before replying. "Priestess." 

"Ah, of course. Sorry." Nigel smiled nervously and gently patted the horse's head. His tail flicked and his nostrils flared but he did not otherwise react.

Brenna smiled faintly and patted the horse's muzzle. "Be nice, Draig..." she admonished gently. The horse's tail subsided and he walked on.

"You're, um, very good with animals..." Sydney observed quietly.

"It's all about tone of voice." The horse turned onto a side path and Brenna followed. "The village is this way." 

"He knows his way home?" Sydney asked, approving.

She nodded. "He's a wise old one." After a few minutes of silence, she added, "We should be there in ten minutes. Less if we hurry."

After several more minutes of silence, Nigel observed, "You don't talk much, do you , Brenna?"

"I talk when there is need to." She shrugged, then added, "Please do not think me impolite for my silence. It is merely habitual."

"No, of course we don't think that..." Sydney assured her. "It's a good habit. Most kids your age do nothing _but_ talk."

"The vacant-minded have little else _to_ occupy themselves." She lapsed into silence again, until a smudge of smoke appeared in the distance. "The village."

"How many people live there?" Nigel asked.

"Fifty-three, in total."

Sydney fell in next to Nigel. "What do you think?"

"I think that maybe we _did_ fall asleep at the picnic and this is a dream brought on by my pain-pills. Notice her accent?"

Sydney nodded. "Yeah, sounds medieval."

Nigel nodded. "Like her clothes." He paused and stared straight ahead. "_And _her village."

Sydney stopped and stared for a moment. The village definitely had a very primitive feel to it. "Some of those structures look almost pre-middle ages."

"That hut there looks like it was transplanted directly from Scara Brae..." Nigel added, pointing to a large, stone dwelling on the outskirts of the village. Scara Brae was, of course, a stone-age village on the northern tip of Ireland.

Sydney nodded. "Except for the stone used. That's indigenous to New England."

Nigel nodded. "And the girl's tunic is cotton..."

"What if medieval Europeans built a village in North America?" Sydney muttered, shaking her head.

"That's exactly what it seems like, right down to this girl's superstitious belief in the Sidhe." Nigel shook his head. "There's no way this is happening, Syd."

"Feels real to me." Sydney shook her head. "I mean, obviously _something_ is up..."

He nodded. "But what?" He sighed. "Syd, I can't even believe that we're even considering the possibility that this is anything _but_ an hallucination."

She shrugged helplessly. "Nigel, we have seen some very weird things in our time together. Let's just... stay calm and approach this like the scientists we are."

He nodded weakly and took a deep breath. "Step one, find out where in God's name we are."

She nodded. "Step two, find out how to get home."

"You reckon the storm was related to all this?" he asked.

"Anything is possible, Nigel." Sydney shrugged, accepting the possibility. "Why do you ask?"

"A storm rolls in and suddenly our heroes find themselves on Prospero's island..." Nigel muttered.

"Huh?" Sydney asked, staring. He was not exactly _quoting_ The Tempest, but he was definitely referencing the play.

"Um, traditionally, strange weather phenomena _are_ associated with transportation to mystical realms..." Nigel shrugged. "The hurricane in The Tempest, fogs and heavy mists for Avalon. There are others precedents, of course..."

"Mystical realms?" Sydney regarded him dubiously.

"Well, I don't need to point out that this is _not_ home sweet home, Syd. Just... brainstorming." He shrugged again. "I mean, obviously this is _not_ Prospero's island, Syd, but it's not home either."

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah, guess not. If it was, we couldn't walk five minutes in a straight line without hitting a building."

"Sounds dreadfully cluttered..." Brenna contributed quietly, leading them towards the stone hut. "Wait here..." she said in a tone that made the imperative somewhere between a suggestion and an order. She left them outside and vanished into the hut.

Sydney helped Nigel down from the horse, who regarded them both, if it was possible for a horse to do so, with contempt for a moment before walking into a small stable adjoining the hut.

"What do you think?" she asked, looking around. 

He shook his head. "Well, it _looks_ suitably primitive, but it smells too good to be a real medieval village."

Sydney laughed and nodded. "You've got a point there..."

A girl of ten walked by, pulling a boy of six or seven with her. Both were dressed in what looked like sacks with armholes. "You do it again, I'm feeding you to the werewolves!" she told him firmly. "I doubt anyone'll miss you..."

"Hag..." he muttered, glaring at her. Both ignored Sydney and Nigel as they vanished into a small hut.

"Interesting..." Sydney muttered. "Well, the clothing is certainly authentic-looking..."

"Authentic to _what_, though, Syd?" Nigel asked, shaking his head in confusion. "Authentic it may be, but it's not _consistent_. I mean these buildings... stone-age huts next to thatched cottages, and... that smithy there looks like it's from the early eighteen-hundreds..."

Sydney nodded in agreement. He was, of course, right. It was like a bad movie-set where no one had bothered checking for historical accuracy. Except that it was real. "We've got to be missing something..." she told Nigel. "Some explanation or... something." She shook her head. "I don't know, Nigel."

"Neither do I."

Brenna emerged from the hut again. "She wants to see you. Come."

Shrugging, Sydney followed the girl, supporting Nigel.

"You, sit there..." Brenna told Nigel, pointing to a chair next to the fire-pit. As Nigel sat, she produced a knife the dwarfed the one that Sydney wore.

"Hey!" Sydney said, taking a step forward as Nigel struggled to his feet.

She regarded Sydney with mild amusement. "I want to get that... thing off of your friend so I can apply a proper cast." She placed the knife on a table and began rummaging through a cabinet. "If I had wanted you dead..." she added as she searched, "you would have been well before you became aware of my presence." She returned to the table, laying out several supplies.

"Birch-bark?" Sydney asked.

Brenna nodded. "What else would one use for a cast?" she asked tonelessly, pulling a kettle off of the fire. She poured a spoonful of white powder into a cup and splashed in some hot water. She handed it to Nigel. "You're in pain. Drink."

"What is it?" Nigel asked, sniffing cautiously at the contents of the cup.

She began cutting away the soggy cast. "What do you care, as long as it relieves your pain?"

"Child..." a warning voice came from the other room.

"It's a derivative from the poppy flower." Brenna pushed up his pant leg and examined his ankle thoughtfully.

"Opium?" Sydney asked, surprised.

"That's one name." Brenna nodded. "How long ago did this happen?" she asked Nigel, gently probing.

To his surprise, it did not hurt in the least. "Just under one month ago..."

She glanced up at him expressionlessly for a moment. "Where ever you are from, your medicine leaves much to be desired..." She prodded some more, then glanced up at Nigel. "However, I think that the worst of the damage can be repaired. That should be cool enough to drink now..." she added, reaching for a small container. She removed a handful of cream from it and began smoothing it over Nigel's bruised and discolored ankle, muttering in a low voice as she did so.

Nigel took a hesitant sip of the brew, grimacing at the bitter taste. He glanced at Sydney who shrugged. Sighing and hoping for the best, he drained the cup. Brenna was still examining his foot, so he turned his attention to the empty cup in his hand. "Syd, have a look at this..."

Sydney stepped around Brenna and bent over Nigel's shoulder. "Wow, the workmanship on this is excellent."

Brenna glanced up at her dubiously. "It's a _cup_..." 

She shook her head and returned her attention to Nigel's foot, obviously not knowing what to make of the two. In short order, Brenna had softened the strips of birch-bark in hot water and formed them into a neat cast on Nigel's foot. Once it dried, it would hold the shattered bones and torn muscles in place as well as any plaster cast. It also had the advantage of being substantially less bulky and so not impeding movement as much. She propped Nigel's foot up on a low stool and vanished through the door at the far end of the room with an injunction to Nigel not to move.

Sydney crouched on the ground next to him, patting his knee sympathetically. She had not realized how horrible his foot looked under that cast. Almost a month old, the bruises still looked fresh and there were fresh surgical scars from the pins that had been placed in his ankle. 

"How are you?" she asked gently.

He shrugged. "Still disoriented, I guess."

Sydney grinned and nodded agreement. "I meant your foot. I hadn't realized how bad it was until I saw it just now..."

"Oh..." Nigel shrugged. "It hurts, Syd, but no worse now than it did this morning."

"Even with her poking at it like that?" Sydney asked. She had been wincing in sympathy the entire time that Brenna had been working on Nigel.

He shrugged. "Strangely enough. She's got wonderfully gentle hands. Between that and whatever was in that drink..." he trailed off, rubbing his eyes and grabbing on to Sydney's shoulder.

"You okay?"

He nodded. "Tea just kicked in, I think." He grinned sheepishly. "Little dizzy."

Sydney pulled a chair next to him and slid her arms around him, supporting him. "Just close your eyes and relax, Nigel."

Nigel closed his eyes and snuggled against Sydney, careful to keep his foot immobile. "Hard _not_ to relax like this, Syd..." he muttered quietly, smiling at her.

She grinned and shook her head. "You..." she whispered, kissing his cheek.

Nigel opened his eyes, looking disappointed, and  gave Sydney a wistful look. Sydney laughed and started to speak, but paused when Brenna returned to the room, joined by another woman. This woman was older than Brenna, although she did not seem old enough to account for the fact that her waist-length hair was completely white. Her dress was of a light, billowy fabric, red with yellow and orange accents. Her face was round and kind as she regarded the two strangers in her home curiously.

"My Brenna tells me that you are still suffering some disorientation?" she asked in a low, gentle voice. 

Nigel was very much reminded of his childhood nanny, while Sydney thought that she looked remarkably like one of her teachers at boarding-school. 

Sydney spoke first. "That's one way of putting it, yeah."

"I am Audra. You are Sydney Fox and Nigel Bailey?" When they had nodded, she continued. "What brings you here?"

"Um, we don't even really know where _here_ is..." Nigel began.

She nodded, smiling faintly. "I see. Then you are from the other place?"

"_Other_ place?" Sydney repeated.

Audra nodded. "Yes. The one without the Sidhe, or magic. The one where our Lady is no longer worshipped."

Nigel frowned thoughtfully. "What is this place called?"

"This village is called New Swansea. The land is Avalon."

Sydney and Nigel stared at each other, at a loss for words.

Audra smiled and muttered quietly to Brenna. The girl picked up a torch and left the hut. "You are surprised?"

"Just a bit..." Nigel muttered sarcastically.

Audra smiled faintly and bent to examine his cast. "It's dry now, you may move if you'd like."

Nigel was staring at her like a deer caught in a car's headlights, so Sydney spoke. "This is Avalon? _The _Avalon?"

Audra nodded mildly. "Yes, my child. Does this surprise you?"

"Yes!" Sydney nodded.

Audra frowned curiously. "I thought you knew. You see, my Brenna had led me to believe that you were beginning to suspect as much. Your friend's talk of weather phenomena and such led her to think that you must have been aware."

Sydney shook her head. "No. It's a pretty huge leap, isn't it?"

Audra nodded. "I suppose for you it must be."

"How did we get here?" Nigel interjected. "How do we get home?"

"It's hard to say. Clearly you have been summoned here, though by who and for what purpose I can not begin to imagine. Only the person who called you here can return you to your own place. You must find her."

"Her?" Sydney repeated. "How do you know it was a woman?"

Audra shrugged. "Few men have the power necessary. Women are more attuned to these sorts of things. Certainly no druid brought you here, so it must have been a priestess or sorceress."

Brenna re-entered the hut. "The guest-house is in readiness for them, my Lady."

Audra nodded. "It grows late and you both seem fatigued. My Brenna will take you to the guest-house so that you may rest. In the morning, we can discuss this further."

Sydney started to protest, then glanced at Nigel, who seemed exhausted. She nodded. "Okay. We can discuss it in the morning."

"Syd..." Nigel protested. Sydney stared firmly at him and he stopped. He shrugged and nodded.

Audra smiled and nodded. "I advise you not to leave the guest-house after nightfall. There are things which wander the land at night that you do _not_ wish to encounter. Everything you should need is provided. Good night."

Sydney helped Nigel to his feet and the two followed Audra through the growing darkness. Nigel winced and sidled closer to Sydney at the sound of a wolf howling in the distance.

"They very rarely approach the village..." Brenna informed him quietly. "It's the werewolves that you have to worry about."

"How can you tell the difference?" Nigel asked, curious.

Brenna pointed skyward, indicating the crescent-moon. "Here you are." She led them into the guest-house, waited for them to have a look around, then turned to leave. "Lock the door once I have gone..." she advised before vanishing into the night.

Sydney immediately did as suggested, then turned to examine the cottage. It was not large by her standards, though by the standards of these people it probably was. There were two rooms, the main room and a smaller room off the back, which turned out to be a bathroom. No tub, but a toilet and a large basin for washing. Running water after the ancient Greek design, she observed gratefully. 

She returned to the main room to examine that. There were two bed set into alcoves in the wall, a small round table, and a large, central fire-pit. Nigel had already found food and dishes in the large cabinet by the door, and there was a water-pump as well. Clean clothes sat on each of the freshly-made beds. She smiled and nodded. Wherever and whenever they were, it was nicer than many hotels that they had stayed in on various Relic Hunts.

"Hungry?" Nigel asked her, examining the contents of the cabinet. 

She shook her head. "You?"

Nigel sighed and shook his head. "There's some chamomile tea here..." he offered.

Sydney nodded and filled a brass kettle, setting it over the fire-pit. "Brass..." she told Nigel.

He nodded. "I'd noticed. It's odd, really, Syd. Technologically, in many ways, it's almost as if they've been stopped just short of the Industrial Revolutions."

Sydney nodded. "But they still use folk-medicine and believe in werewolves and fairies..." she added.

Nigel nodded. "Very odd..." He shook his head and sat down on one of the beds, leaning against the wall.

Sydney sighed and sat next to him. "_Very_ odd..." she agreed, nodding.


	3. Bedtime Story

(yes, I know that it's utter fluff and does very little to advance the plot, but I was in a shippy mood when I wrote it… The next chapter will actually have a plot)

**Chapter 3 -- Bedtime Story**

"Here you go, Nigel..." Sydney said, handing him a cup of chamomile tea and sitting down next to him.

"Thanks, Syd." He smiled at her. "So, what do you think?"

She shook her head. "No idea, Nigel. This whole thing is just too much like a bizarre dream..."

Nigel nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "I think that the first question that we need to ask ourselves is whether or not we accept this situation at face-value."

She sighed. "I just don't know, Nigel."

"Yeah, neither do I." He shook his head. "This has definitely been a strange month, Syd."

"Hey, you're the one who started it with that whole raising of the dead..." Sydney pointed out, grinning at him and nudging him with her shoulder.

Nigel smiled shyly and shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time, Syd. I _really _didn't want to have to find a new job." He winked at her.

Sydney laughed. "See, Nigel, this is what you get for hanging out with gods..." she teased in a stern voice.

"Yeah, throw that back in my face..." Nigel laughed. "God, I don't even feel comfortable taking a shower any more. 'We've been watching you since before you were born...' Now _that_ is paranoia-inducing..."

"She told you that?" Sydney laughed. "Poor Nigel..." She slid an arm around him and shook her head. 

Nigel sighed. "You know, Syd, once you've accepted the existence of gods in human form, maybe it isn't such a stretch to accept that this is, in fact, Avalon..." he suggested tentatively.

She nodded and shrugged noncommittally. "You could have something there, Nigel." 

"You know... if this _is_ really Avalon, and that Audra woman is a priestess, maybe she can get us in touch with Bridgit."

Sydney grinned at him. "Pays to have friends in high places. Nigel, I take back what I said about the gods being nothing but trouble. You feel free to hang out with them anytime."

He smiled and shook his head. He looked at her thoughtfully and his smile faded slightly as it occurred to him that, if he and Sydney were meant to be together, then everything that had happened to them in the past month might well have been orchestrated by Bridgit and the others simply to bring them together. It made him wonder if either of them had ever _really_ had any choice in the matter.

"Something wrong, Nigel?" Sydney asked with concern.

Nigel shook his head and smiled at her. "Just a twinge in my foot." He _wanted_ to be with her, had for some time. Could anything else really matter? "Well, Syd, I'd suggest that we go out and catch a movie, but somehow I don't think that's going to happen." 

"No, I don't think so either." Sydney shook her head and sighed thoughtfully. "You look tired, Nigel..." she said gently.

"So do you, Syd."

She sighed. "I guess that makes it bedtime."

"I honestly don't think I'll be able to sleep, Syd."

She nodded. "Yeah, me neither." She sighed and shook her head. "So what should we do?"

"We could... cuddle or something..." Nigel suggested tentatively, feeling like an idiot.

Sydney smiled, amused by the fact that his tone of voice made him sound like he expected her to slap him for making the suggestion. "Yeah, Nigel. I like that idea."

"You _do_?" Nigel stared at her, wide-eyed and smiling.

Sydney laughed and nodded. "Sure, why not." She walked over to the other bed and picked up the nightshirt that had been laid there. "I'm just going to go change."

Nigel swallowed hard and nodded, suddenly feeling more than a little nervous. "Okay, Syd. And I'll just... change as well."

Sydney smiled and walked into the other room to change. "Poor Nigel..." she muttered to herself as she changed out of her clothes and shrugged on the knee-length, white nightshirt. "You decent?" she called before returning to the main room.

"Yeah, Syd..." Nigel replied.

Sydney picked up her clothes and carried them back into the main room, dropping them onto the other bed. She walked over and sat down next to Nigel, grinning at his obvious nervousness.

"Hey, relax..." she suggested gently. "I don't bite." She paused. "Hard."

A half-smile crossed Nigel's face. 

Sydney grinned. "That's better."

He shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, Syd. It's just this is a _really_ awkward situation."

"Yeah, it is. But it's not like we haven't curled up together on the couch more than once."

"That's the couch, Syd. This is a bed. You know, where we each go alone after an evening curled up on the couch..."

"That why you're so freaked out?" Sydney asked gently.

He nodded and shrugged. "That and... well _other _things." He made an all-encompassing gesture with both hands.

Sydney grinned and nodded. "Guess we should have gone to Barbados with Karen."

Nigel smiled and nodded. "I'm sorry, Syd. I know I can be a bit of a wet blanket at times..."

"Actually, I've always looked at it as keeping my feet on the ground."

Nigel grinned at her. "Ah, but I've _yet_ to be able to succeed in that respect, Syd..." he pointed out slyly.

Sydney laughed and pulled him into her arms, curling up against him. "What am I going to do with you, Nigel?" she muttered, shaking her head.

"Oh, I have a few suggestions..."

Sydney laughed. "Don't push your luck."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Syd." Nigel smiled and pulled her a little closer, sighing happily. "Interesting, isn't it?"

"What, Nigel?" Sydney asked, smiling.

"How in the midst of all this chaos we've still managed to find a bit of calm... Amazing."

She grinned and nodded. "Yeah, it is. Or maybe it really _isn't_ that amazing."

"No, Syd, you're wrong..." Nigel told her softly. "It may not be surprising, but it definitely is amazing."

She laughed softly. "Have I mentioned that dating you has been really good for my ego?"

"More than once, Syd." He sighed again, feeling, in spite of everything that had happened today, quite peaceful. "This is nice."

She smiled and nodded. "What should we talk about?" Sydney asked.

"Nothing. Let's just enjoy this, Syd. With the fire, it's really rather romantic."

She smiled. "I never would have figured you for the romantic type, Nigel."

Nigel grinned and gently ran one hand through her hair. "Oh, I'm full of surprises, Syd."

"Yeah?" Sydney grinned and nestled closer. She reached for the quilt and pulled it over them. "Such as?"

Nigel smiled and shook his head. "Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise for you."

"Just going to leave me in suspense?" she asked, laughing gently.

"Hey, anticipation can be so much fun..." He brushed an errant lock of hair from her face. "To say nothing of how wonderful surprises can be, Syd."

Sydney laughed, enjoying Nigel's newfound confidence and playfulness. There had been a time not too long ago when he would not have dreamed of teasing her, especially about the kind of things he had been teasing her about all day today. She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

Nigel grinned down at her. "You're going to fall asleep like that if you aren't careful..." he pointed out reluctantly.

"So?" Sydney replied without opening her eyes.

Nigel's smile widened. "Would you at least like a pillow?"

"No, you're comfy."

His grin widened and he blushed. Nigel found her pretty comfortable as well, actually. He had never really been much of a fan of cuddling until his relationship with Sydney had changed. Now he spent the majority of every day anticipating the hour or two that he knew he would spend curled up with Sydney in the evening. Even if they spent the whole time discussing work, it was wonderful to be so close to her. What was more wonderful to Nigel was knowing that she cared about him as anything other than a graduate assistant.

Sydney snuggled closer, resting her hand on his chest and opening her eyes marginally. His face was plastered with that goofy, embarrassed grin that she adored so much. "You comfortable?" she asked, closing her eyes again. "You going to be okay like this all night?"

"All... night?" Nigel repeated quietly, more than a little surprised. 

He had never spent more than a few hours curled up with Sydney before going home for the night. The idea of falling asleep with her in his arms was an intriguing one. The idea of spending an entire night that way was almost intoxicating.

Sydney opened her eyes slightly at her tone of voice. Had that been anticipation or nervousness in his tone? It could be hard to tell sometimes. "Only if you want to."

Nigel swallowed hard. "I'd... like that, Syd. I mean, that is, if you..."

"I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise, Nigel. You okay with the idea?"

"Uh, _yeah_, Syd." Nigel nodded hastily, not wanting her to change her mind.

"Don't want to rush you..." she told him gently.

"It's not really rushing if I want it, Syd..." he whispered.

She smiled up at him. "Okay, Nigel. As long as you're sure."

He grinned self-consciously. "Sleep well, Syd."

"You, too, Nigel."

She closed her eyes again and allowed herself to drift. Considering that he was serving as her pillow, it was not surprising to Sydney when her thoughts turned to Nigel and, more specifically, to her relationship with him. She had always considered Nigel a sweet kid and a good friend, but at some point her estimation of him had subtly changed. Before, she had assumed that the change was in Nigel, that he had become braver, more straightforward, more mature, even, but now she was beginning to wonder if the real change had not been in herself.

What did it take to make the transition from trusting a person with your life to trusting them with your heart? For that matter, even among men she had dated in the past, how many had she ever _really_ trusted with her heart? Sydney was not, by nature, a trusting woman. That had had to change before she could even consider a serious relationship. 

Of course, she was still not as trusting as most. Her total trust and confidence in Nigel was the exception rather than the rule, and that had taken time to develop. Nigel had had to prove himself to her first. Maybe that was why it had taken her so long to consider the possibility of anything more between them. Although she never would have admitted it, it was still scary to trust anyone, even Nigel, in a relationship, but she was getting there. It helped that Nigel was... Nigel.

When she finally slept, she was smiling widely.

Nigel was more than content to listen to her breathing until he fell asleep. Of course, he was not comfortable unless his mind was working on some problem or other, so he occupied himself searching for a word to describe their new relationship, finally coming up with a perfect one. Right. His relationship with Sydney was _right_. It was not, of course, perfect: few things were. But it was right, even familiar in many ways, like it had all happened before. 

If he had believed in reincarnation, he might have suspected that they had dated in previous lives, but he was not a believer, so he put it down to their long friendship. His mother had always told him that marriages based on friendship worked best, and he supposed that the rule applied just as well to dating. It certainly could explain why dating Sydney had been such an effortless transition. Nothing had really changed in their interactions or their professional lives. They had merely added a new dimension to their friendship.

Tightening his grip on Sydney, Nigel smiled and sighed happily. When he drifted off to sleep, his dreams were of Sydney.


	4. an Old Friend

**Chapter 4 -- an Old Friend**

Nigel awoke with the impression that his foot was on fire. On further reflection, it occurred to him that, if his foot had actually been on fire, it probably would have felt better than it actually did. He had slept on it wrong, he realized, and the woman lying facedown on top of him was not helping matters. He smiled and chuckled softly. Sydney stirred slightly, but slept on. Not wanting to wake her, he did not move.

"This I could get used to..." Nigel muttered quietly. 

"Mmm... Me, too." Sydney yawned and opened her eyes slightly. "What time is it, Nigel?"

"Can't see my watch, Syd. You're on my arm."

"Mmm... Do I have to move?" Sydney closed her eyes again and buried her face in his chest.

"Well, you don't _have_ to, Syd, but if you could shift your left leg about three inches to the right I'd be grateful..."

"Hurting?" she asked without moving her head. She moved her leg. "Poor Nigel. Is it very bad?" 

Nigel fought the urge to giggle as she talked into his chest. He ran one hand through her hair as he spoke. "Well, it's not very _nice_, certainly... I'm afraid that I left my pain-pills in my desk."

"Oops... Maybe you can get something else from Brenna."

"Would that involve getting up?" Nigel asked languidly.

"Probably."

"Then forget it. I'll suffer."

Sydney laughed softly.

"Uh, Syd... That really tickles..."

Sydney looked up, startled. "You're ticklish?" she asked, grinning.

Nigel shrugged nervously. "Just a... tad."

Sydney's smile widened. "Where?" she breathed in his ear.

Nigel twitched his head away from her mouth. "There, for one..."

"This is promising..." She grinned at him. "You're one of those guys who's ticklish all over, aren't you, Nigel?" She laughed triumphantly as the nervous expression returned to his face. "Ah-ha!"

Nigel laughed softly. "Syd, I'd appreciate it if we could keep that just between you and I, okay?"

"Damn, and I was going to send a memo to all the department heads..." She shook her head and rolled off of him.

Nigel grinned and put his hands behind his head. "Sleep well?"

"Probably better than you..." she yawned. "You should have rolled me off if you were uncomfortable."

"I was perfectly comfortable until I woke up." 

She laughed and shook her head. "Need help getting up?"

He shook his head. "No, but if you could just hand me my crutches..."

Sydney nodded and picked them up. "So..." she began, then trailed off.

Nigel grinned. "Small talk just isn't easy in a situation like this, is it?"

She shook her head. "No, it isn't... Um let's get dressed, then find Audra, I guess..."

Nigel nodded and picked up his pants. "That sounds like a good plan."

There was a tap on the door. "Come in..." Sydney called.

Brenna looked in. "Just getting up?" she asked.

Sydney nodded. "Long night."

Brenna glanced around the hut, noticed that one of the beds had not been slept in, and shrugged. "Audra would like you to join us for breakfast once you've dressed. I'll be waiting outside." She left the hut.

"Breakfast..." Nigel nodded. "Now _that_ sounds like a good plan, Syd."

She nodded and picked up her clothes, vanishing into the back room. "So, you come up with any theories as to how we ended up here yet?" she called as she changed.

"Nothing solid yet..." Nigel replied, pulling his pants on. "I'm assuming that we were... summoned here somehow, but otherwise I'm not really sure." He pulled off the nightshirt and picked up his own shirt. He held it against his chest as Sydney reentered the main room. "Warn a guy! I might have been..." he trailed off, blushing. 

Sydney grinned and turned her back. "Sorry, Nigel."

Shaking his head in embarrassment, he pulled on his shirt. "Sorry, Syd. I'm just..."

"Tense." Sydney nodded and sat down on the bed next to him as he buttoned. "Me, too, Nigel. Don't worry, though. We'll get through this. We've been in worse spots."

He nodded and sighed. "I know, Syd. This is just so totally..."

"Strange..." Sydney supplied quietly.

He nodded. "_Strange_. Nothing we've been through has even come close to making this seem anything other than completely surreal." He sighed. "Syd, we're in very serious trouble here."

She slid an arm around his shoulder. "I know, Nigel." She sighed and nodded. "But it's like you told me in Turkey... There's nothing in the world that we can't take on."

He smiled and blushed faintly. "You and me, Syd."

She grinned and climbed to her feet, then helped Nigel up. "So, shall we go see what the world has to throw at us today?"

He grinned and nodded, following her to the door. "Can't be any worse than what it had to throw at us yesterday..." he observed quietly.

***

"Thank you for a wonderful breakfast..." Sydney told Audra quietly as Brenna quietly removed their plates from the table.

Audra nodded. "Well, it was no feast, but my Brenna is a fine cook." She poured more tea for Sydney and Nigel. "We have much to discuss, I think."

"You can say that again..." Nigel muttered. 

"How is your foot, Nigel Bailey?" Audra asked him gently.

"Better now, thanks. That tea of yours has quite a kick to it."

She smiled and nodded. "I am pleased that it has helped."

Brenna leaned over Audra and muttered. "Going out now, my Lady."

Audra nodded. "Have a lovely day, child."

Brenna nodded and left, not even acknowledging Nigel or Sydney.

Audra smiled and shook her head indulgently. "Forgive her. Although she would never admit it, she is a shy child."

"Shy..." Nigel repeated, shaking his head.

"You perhaps caught her on a bad day yesterday."

"Yeah, like we were having a swell day..." Nigel grumbled.

"Nigel..." Sydney warned softly.

He sighed. "Sorry, Syd."

Sydney nodded and patted his shoulder gently, then turned her attention to Audra. "Can you tell us how we came to be here?"

"As I said yesterday, you were obviously summoned from your own world."

"How?" Nigel asked. "And if not by you, by whom?"

She considered this for a moment. "It's hard to say. There are few in the region who possess the sort of power that is required to bring two people from the other world." She closed her eyes for a moment. Opening them, she fixed the two with a steady, contemplative stare. "To answer your question, there is another which must first be answered. To know the answer to one is, likely, to know the answer to the other."

"What's the question?" Sydney asked quietly.

"Not who, daughter, but _why_..." Audra whispered.

Sydney nodded thoughtfully. "Good point. I hadn't even thought about that before. If we were called here..."

"It was for a reason..." Nigel finished, frowning thoughtfully. "What does anyone need with two Relic Hunters in a place like this?"

It was Audra who answered him. "What does one need with Relic Hunters anywhere?"

Sydney sighed and nodded. "Any missing relics of value around here?"

"To my knowledge, no." Audra shook her head. "But then, I am wise, not all-knowing." She smiled faintly. "Not even the Goddess is all knowing."

"What name do you worship her by?" Nigel asked abruptly.

Audra looked up, surprised by the question. "She has many names, but, in truth, the name by which She is worshiped is not so important as that She _is_ worshiped."

Sydney glanced at Nigel, knowing what he was getting at. "Cerridwyn? Bridgit?"

Audra looked up curiously. "Those names are from the old world, but, yes, they are still used on occasion."

Nigel took a deep breath. "I need to talk to Bridgit."

Audra stared at him in shock. "Have you taken leave of your senses?" she demanded. "Our Lady does not come on command like some dog. She is the _Goddess_! She comes and She goes as she will..." Audra shook her head, dumbfounded by the request.

"Nigel and Bridgit go way back..." Sydney explained quietly. "And we were hoping that she could help us sort this out..."

Audra considered this for a moment, eyeing Sydney thoughtfully. When she spoke, her voice was gentle. "I would not know how to go about calling Her here... If you wish to see Her, pray. This is the only sure method of communicating with Her."

Nigel nodded, smiling. "Interesting that neither of us thought of that, Syd. Let us pray..."

She shrugged and shook her head. "Hey, she's your friend. _You_ pray."

Nigel shrugged and nodded. "Okay, I will."

Audra stared at the two uncertainly. "I will take you to Her sacred space."

Nigel smiled and nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

She rose and led them from the hut. The village was more crowded today than it had been yesterday evening, and people stopped to stare at Audra and her guests. 

"Would it be possible for me to talk to some of the citizens of this village?" Sydney asked as they left the path and started towards a small copse of trees in the distance. It would be a wonderful opportunity to learn.

Audra nodded. "I am certain that can be arranged, yes."

Sydney nodded. "Good. I can do that while Nigel is doing his thing."

"That's a good idea, Syd." Nigel told her. "Especially since I very well may end up spending all day here for nothing."

Audra led them silently to the clearing formed by the hollow stand of trees, a perfect circle of grass ringed by standing stones. "I'll send Brenna for you this evening..." she told Nigel quietly.

"Good luck, Nigel..." Sydney muttered, not sure what else to say under the circumstances.

He nodded. "Thanks, Syd. Have fun. Learn lots." He waved as they left, then sighed and looked around. 

Praying was not exactly his strong-suit, especially praying to ancient gods. Admittedly he _knew_ the forms and ceremonies for invoking dozens of them, but none seemed dreadfully appropriate in Bridgit's case. Hell, it was still hard to think of the woman as a god at all. It took him almost a half an hour to compose himself into an appropriately prayerful state of mind, and, even so, he had no real idea what to say.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and began uncertainly. "Um, Bridgit... I'm not sure if you can really hear me, but, um... if you can, I kind of need to talk to you."

"Now _that_ has got to be _the _most interesting invocation I've ever heard..." a low voice said merrily.

Nigel spun in the direction of the voice, startled. A teen-aged girl with black hair, freckles, and amazing green eyes regarded him with a wicked grin. "Hey, Nigel..." She winked and giggled at his shocked look.

"Um, hello, Bridgit." He smiled slightly.

She pouted at him. "You wanted my Mother aspect, didn't you?" she asked, referring to the red-headed woman who Nigel had been friends with. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot.

"Well, I do _know_ her better..." Nigel temporized.

"Oh, you're just pissed that I snuck up on you. We're all the same chick, you know."

Nigel blinked in surprise. 'Pissed' and 'chick'? Definitely two words that he had never expected to hear from a goddess. "Just a bit startled."

"Sorry, man." She shrugged. "It's good to see you again."

He smiled and nodded. "You, too, Bridgit." After a brief pause, he asked, "Um, why aren't you in one of your other aspects?"

She shrugged. "Because the people around here like my Maiden aspect best. Playing to my audience, man."

Nigel nodded slowly, amazed by how much like a teenager Bridgit's Maiden aspect could be.

She grinned, reading his expression. "I know, I know... Triple Goddesses are confusing. You ought to try _being_ one some time."

Nigel smiled faintly.

"So, what brings you to Avalon, exactly?" she asked conversationally.

"Um, I was hoping _you_ could answer that, actually."

"Wasn't me. Have you talked to Audra?"

"She claims it wasn't her."

"Hmm... Strange. You here alone? Syd with you?"

Nigel nodded. "She's back at the village now, talking to people. Trying to figure out what happened."

"Hmm." Bridgit frowned thoughtfully.

"You honestly don't know how we got here?" Nigel asked, surprised.

She shook her head. "I'm not all-knowing. Just... mostly-knowing. No priestess can part the veil between the worlds without my knowing about it, which probably makes it a sorceress. What's she want with you two anyway?"

"Syd assumes that she wants us to go after some relic or other."

"Fair assumption, I guess. But if she wants my cauldron, you can tell her to go scratch."

"Can you send us back?" Nigel asked gently.

She sighed and shook her head.

"_No_?" Nigel demanded, shocked.

She shrugged defensively. "Sorry, man. You figure out who brought you here, and I've got a shot, but, deity or not, I'm bound by certain rules."

"Yeah, we've been over that..." Nigel muttered, shaking his head. "Let me talk to Red."

"You were so much more cool as a kid, Nigel..." she muttered, shaking her head. "You used to think I was the most beautiful, wise woman alive."

"I was _five_..." Nigel pointed out.

"That's right." She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "Well, I still think you're pretty cute." Winking, she stepped behind him and smacked him lightly on the butt.

Nigel spun to face her again, startled. "Bridgit!" he protested.

A thirty-something red-head regarded him with a maternal smile. "Yes, Nigel?" Her green eyes twinkled, but her bearing and voice were a thousand times more serious than those of her younger self.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, frowning.

"Because teenagers are impetuous." She shrugged. "Sorry, my friend."

"It's good to see you again." Nigel smiled.

She smiled and nodded. "You're looking well, Nigel. We've been keeping an eye on you, you know. I must say that all of us greatly approved your actions in Turkey. Especially Aphrodite. I haven't seen her that amused in centuries."

"I was an ass in Turkey, Bridgit..." Nigel told her gently.

"If you say so, Nigel." She smiled benignly. "Still, it's nice to see and Sydney making a go of it."

Nigel scowled. "In accordance with some divine plan, no doubt?"

She regarded him curiously for a moment. "Ah, I see. You're afraid that you don't have any choice in the matter. Pawn, I believe was the word running through your mind last night." She shook her head faintly. "It doesn't work like that, Nigel. You're both human. That means you both have free will. You loved Professor Fox well before I reentered your life, and I dare say she loved you as well."

Nigel sighed. "I'm sorry, Bridgit. I am just..."

"Very much on edge. I understand. You feel as if you have completely lost what little control you have over your life."

Nigel nodded, not even a little surprised that Bridgit knew this.

"Hear me, my child, when I tell you that you are as in-control now as you ever have been."

"Is that meant to be comforting?" Nigel asked sadly.

She shook her head. "It's merely the truth. You can not control the world around you, no matter how much you might wish to. The only thing Nigel Bailey can control is Nigel Bailey." She patted his shoulder gently. "Sit down. I want to look at your foot."

Nigel nodded and sat down in the cool grass. "It occurs to me that I never did thank you for saving Sydney's life."

Bridgit shrugged absently. "You did in your own way." She sat down before him and pulled his foot into her lap, gently peeling away the cast. "I am only sorry that you had to suffer so to bring it about."

"It was worth it..." Nigel told her gently.

Bridgit smiled up at him. "I knew there was a reason I liked you, my child." She examined his foot thoughtfully.

Nigel watched curiously as she slid her cool hands over the no-longer bruised skin. "That's odd. It was a real mess yesterday."

Bridgit nodded. "Brenna's doing. The bones remain broken, but I think that can be taken care of. Is it painful?"

"Only pins and needles now. It was _horrible_ when I woke up this morning."

"Yes, having a grown woman sleep with most of her weight on your leg will do that..." Bridgit muttered dryly.

Nigel stared and sputtered, searching for an appropriate response. 

Bridgit smiled and shook her head. "Teasing, Nigel."

Nigel nodded somewhat defensively. "I knew that..."

Bridgit smiled and shook her head. "Of course you did, my child. Lay back." She wrapped both hands around his ankle and waited for him to comply.

Shrugging, Nigel leaned back, watching her curiously. "What are you doing?"

"Making amends. I'm a healer, remember?"

"Of course..." Nigel nodded. He propped himself up on his elbows, trying to see what she was doing. "So, what are you--" his words were cut off as a searing heat ripped through his ankle. "_Ah_!" he shouted, trying to pull his foot away.

"Almost done..." Bridgit told  him calmly. "Stop squirming."

The pain was horrendous, and the audible sound of bones cracking and popping was not helping. Underneath, there was another sensation, strangely soothing. Nigel was not entirely sure whether this was the most painful experience of his life, or the most pleasant. Shocked, he suddenly realized that it was _both_ as Bridgit released his ankle. She climbed to her feet and offered him her hand.

"What did you just do?" Nigel gasped, staring up at her.

"I fixed your foot. Give me your hand."

Nigel slowly gave her his hand and allowed her to help him to his feet. He gingerly took a few steps, then stared down at his foot in surprise. "My God..."

Bridgit chuckled softly. "Have a religious conversion whilst I wasn't looking?"

"Bridgit, this is... thank you!" Nigel threw his arms around her.

"You are welcome, Nigel. Shall we take a walk?"

Nigel smiled and nodded. "That sounds like a _great_ idea." Humming and half-skipping on his newly-repaired ankle, Nigel followed Bridgit from the grove.

"Any pain?" Bridgit asked as they walked.

"None at all. It feels a little weak when I come down on it wrong, but otherwise it's just fine. Wonderful, even."

Bridgit nodded. "Well, the weakness I am afraid I can do nothing about, but you should not suffer any more pain."

"Thank you, Bridgit."

She smiled and nodded. "_That_ is what friends are for."

They walked in silence for a few more minutes, making a wide loop around the village. "So, you really can't send us home?" Nigel asked finally.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Nigel. Without knowing who did this, there is very little that I can do. You find the offender, and I will do everything in my power to get you home."

Nigel sighed and nodded. "Any idea how to go about finding the person who brought us here?"

She shook her head again. "Unfortunately, there are many, many people who use magic without my approval or knowledge."

"You're the source of all magic in the world, and you don't know everyone who uses it?" Nigel asked uncertainly.

She nodded. "In the beginning, it was easier. All magic came from me, everyone was happy. Ultimately, things changed. People started to exploit the magic in the land, in their own bodies... Magic is everywhere, Nigel. It's what makes the crops grow and it is what makes a baby's laughter such an enchanting sound. Magic is what makes life beautiful." She paused. "The problem with your world, Nigel, is that, too much, the magic is ignored. Because of that, life is less beautiful than it _should_ be."

"Magic is not always a beautiful thing, Bridgit."

"Magic and love are _always_ beautiful..." she told him firmly. "It is only that people sometimes twist them into mockeries of themselves. _Then_ they become ugly." She sighed and slid an arm around his shoulder. "I _will_ get you home, Nigel."

He sighed and nodded. "I know, Bridgit. Want to go say hello to Syd?"

She nodded. "Yes. I confess that I have been eager to see her again. She seemed rather distracted when last we parted."

"Gee, I wonder why..." Nigel muttered softly as they turned towards the village.


	5. the Old Ways

**Chapter 5 -- the Old Ways**

"Bridgit, could you tell me about this place?" Nigel asked her as they walked. It felt absolutely wonderful to be able to really stretch his legs for a change instead of hobbling about on crutches all the time.

"It's Avalon..." Bridgit said, as though that explained it all.

"It's nothing like the Avalon of Arthurian legend."

"Those are corruptions, Nigel." Bridgit smiled at him. "Corruptions of corruptions, actually."

"Corruptions of corruptions..." Nigel repeated, shaking his head. "Meaning that the myths of Arthur are not indigenous to earth?"

"Arthur _was_ an earthly king."

"Who, according to some traditions, was intimately connected with Avalon."

Bridgit nodded. "At the time he ruled, there was a struggle between the Christians and the followers of the Old ways. Arthur had a mother, an aunt, _and_ a sister all educated here. _In_ the Old ways."

"Educated in the Old ways?" Nigel asked. When she nodded, he continued, "Arthur, though, was a Christian?"

She nodded. "Undeniably. But unlike many, he saw no reason why the Old ways and the new could not coexist."

"So where does Avalon come in? It was supposed to be a refuge for followers of the Old ways, wasn't it?"

She shook her head. "No. Not precisely. Or rather not _originally_. This land is the realm of the Sidhe. Few humans lived out their lives here before the death of Arthur."

"But there were _some_?"

She nodded. "Priests and priestesses of mine, mostly. It was a place where you could dedicate your life to religion and live as a hermit. Take Audra. She is a direct descendent of one of my very first priests."

"What about Brenna?"

"Her people came here in the early nineteen-hundreds."

"You're kidding?" Nigel asked, staring.

Bridgit shook her head. "Avalon has become a refuge for followers of the old way in times of persecution. My worshipers, druids, Strega, followers of other ancient traditions... Home sweet home." She smiled at Nigel.

"Thus the mish-mash of cultures that we've been seeing?" Nigel asked.

Bridgit nodded. "Yes. They take what works best for them from each of the cultures they have been exposed to."

"Why haven't they advanced technologically at the same rate that we have on earth?"

"No need to. Their medicine is more advanced than any that _you_ have, they're in perfect sympathy with the land and its creatures, they are happy, content... Aside from getting their pizza in thirty minutes or less, what more could they require?" She looked at Nigel almost sadly. "In your world, technology fills a void in your lives, in your minds, your very souls. These people, my child, they have no such void..."

"So, this is, basically, a pagan utopia?"

"Summerland on earth, Nigel." Bridgit smiled faintly. "Nobody wants for anything."

Nigel smiled faintly. "Lovely thought, that."

She nodded. "We do our bests to keep them happy."

"You said that there are Wiccans _and _Druids?" Nigel asked. "Others as well?"

She nodded. "Representatives from as far back as the stone-age. All over the world, too. In Greece, the Greek gods are still worshiped. In Ireland, England, and most of New England, the Irish gods are revered, either my pantheon or the druidic one. The Native American faiths are amply represented here and in South America... Everyone, Nigel. _And_ there are no religious wars..."

Nigel sighed, feeling faintly envious of these people. "How did they all _get_ here, though?"

"We brought them here during various persecutions."

"How did the Sidhe feel about this mini exodus to their land?"

"They don't much mind. The number of humans here is a low one. And..." She smiled faintly. "The humans are afraid of the Sidhe. They live in small communities and generally leave them alone."

"The insistence on getting indoors before dark, that's because they're scared of the Sidhe?" Nigel asked, faintly amused.

Bridgit nodded. "Not all of the Sidhe are friendly or harmless, Nigel. It is a wise precaution."

Nigel nodded. "And werewolves?"

"Truly exist here." She nodded. "Although not in the form that your modern cinema would have you believe. Banshees as well. And any number of other unpleasant beings." 

"Lovely..." Nigel muttered.

Bridgit smiled at him. "Along with any number of more benign fairy-folk..."

Her accent and intonation reminded Nigel of an old nanny, and of the stories that she used to tell. "Leprechauns?" Nigel asked with a laugh.

She looked faintly surprised by the question. "Good heavens, no! Not in _this_ climate."

He stared, startled. "But... elsewhere?"

She nodded. "Certainly."

"Can I ask you a geography question?"

"By all means, young scholar."

Nigel smiled at this description of himself. "Um... traditionally, Avalon is associated with Glastonbury Abby, in England..."

"So how is it that you find yourself here from New England?" Bridgit asked.

Nigel nodded.

She smiled at him. "You have all the knowledge you need, Nigel. Right here." She brushed her fingers lightly over his forehead. 

"Where have I heard that before?" he muttered, shaking his head at her. 

She smiled. "Wouldn't want you to get out of practice, my child." 

Nigel smiled and nodded. He paused thoughtfully for a moment before starting. "Okay... in the Arthurian tradition, Avalon _is_ associated primarily with Glastonbury in England, but... historically, it is also associated with sites throughout Europe, as far north as Italy..." He glanced up at her. "Right?"

She nodded. "So far."

Nigel frowned and nodded. "Which implies that Avalon may not be confined to a specific geographic location." He glanced at Bridgit again. She nodded silently. "So the portals to Avalon move around?" 

Bridgit shook her head.

He frowned thoughtfully. "They're fixed in location?"

"Not really, no."

Nigel's frown deepened. "They don't move and they aren't fixed to a specific location. So... There are no pre-established portals?"

"There you go, Nigel." Bridgit nodded encouragingly.

"So... they can show up anywhere at any time?" Nigel considered this. "Geographically, would it be safe to assume that Avalon resembles earth?"

"That would be a safe assumption, yes."

"So, Avalon doesn't really exist independently of earth? It's... what? An alternate dimension?"

Bridgit smiled and nodded. It was as close as a human was ever going to come to understanding it. "There you go, Nigel. Clever boy."

Nigel smiled at her praise. "So... Syd and I are still only a few miles from home?" he asked, amused.

She smiled and nodded. "Precisely."

"Bloody hell..." Nigel muttered.

Bridgit smiled. "How has she been, my child? How have the two of you been?"

***

"She's a guest here so I'd appreciate it if you would extend her the same consideration that you would extend me..." Audra had told the startled townspeople. Most had looked horrified at the prospect of actually talking with a real, live _stranger_ for any length of time.

Sydney had started with a young girl, not more than seventeen, who had not seemed at all alarmed, and was sitting in her bakery, listening as the girl carried on a running monologue. "Of course, not all the Sidhe are bad. I leave out some fresh bread and a bowl of milk for them every night so that they know that I don't bear them any ill will."

"Why are so many people afraid of them?" Sydney asked, watching as the girl pushed a paddle covered with loaves of bread into a roaring hearth.

The girl, Eala, shrugged. "People don't like what they don't understand, I guess. More tea?"

"Thanks." Sydney nodded and extended her cup for the girl to pour more tea into. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You don't seem to mind them."

The girl shrugged. "The Sidhe have never done me any harm. Besides, they're lucky to have around." She shrugged. "Audra says you're a scholar?"

Sydney nodded. "That's right."

"Must be great fun. Do you travel much?"

Sydney nodded. "All over the world."

Eala smiled, wide-eyed. "Wow. I'd give anything for an opportunity like that."

"Nothing keeping you from pursuing it..." Sydney pointed out with a smile.

"You're right." Eala smiled and nodded. "I think I'll talk to Audra about it."

"Audra is, like, a leader in this community?" Sydney asked.

Eala nodded. "Oh, yes. She's very wise, you know." She looked up as a young boy entered the cottage. "Yes, Connor?"

He could not have been more than ten, and he regarded Sydney cautiously as he spoke. "I need two loaves of bread."

She smiled and pointed to the hearth. "You can wait, if you'd like. It won't be long now."

"Is this the stranger?" he asked, taking in Sydney's appearance with wide eyes.

"She is the _guest_..." Eala corrected him gently.

"You're Connor?" Sydney asked, doing her best to remember the dozens of introductions that had been made to her this morning. "Your father is Ewan? The blacksmith?"

He nodded silently, nervously.

Sydney smiled at the lanky boy. "Are you going to be a blacksmith when you grow up, Connor?" she asked gently.

He smiled and nodded. "Yup. I may be little, but I'm strong, just like my dad."

Sydney smiled. "I'm sure you are. Do you arm-wrestle?"

He nodded and stared incredulously as Sydney put her arm on the table. "But you're a girl..." he protested.

Sydney smiled. "I'm a pretty strong girl. Want to give it a try?"

He shrugged and sat down across from her. Sydney let him win, but only after making him sweat for it. He smiled with unabashed pride. "You're pretty strong for a girl."

Sydney laughed softly.

"Do you beat your husband much?"

Sydney blinked in surprise and confusion, then realized that he was talking about Nigel. She considered telling him that they weren't married until it occurred to her that they knew nothing about the moral codes of these people. Better to just let it slide for the time being.

"Nigel. He... he's more into books than arm-wrestling."

"Does he fight? Do you fight?" Connor asked eagerly.

Sydney shrugged. "Only when we have to protect ourselves. There are better ways to solve problems than violence."

"You sound like Audra."

"And _you_ sound like a Templar militant..." Eala informed him disapprovingly.

Sydney raised an eyebrow at the reference to the Knights Templar, an organization in medieval Europe which had been dedicated to wiping out paganism. She wondered, from the way that Eala linked the two, if she might not be living in a society of pacifists. Recalling the crossbow that Brenna had so casually leveled at her the day before, she decided that it was unlikely.

"Can I meet your father, Connor?" Sydney asked. "I'd be very interested to see his forge later."

He nodded, smiling proudly. 

Eala handed him two loaves. "If you had nothing else for me, Scholar Fox, feel free to go with Connor now."

Sydney smiled and rose. "Thank you for your cooperation, Eala."

"Good luck finding home, ma'am." She smiled. "Although I can't imagine why anyone would want to leave this place once they'd found it."

Sydney waited to roll her eyes until she had followed young Connor from the cottage. She was getting sick of hearing about how wonderful this place was from the same people who were scared to leave their homes after dark. Connor turned out to be an excellent source of information, carrying on a running monolog as he led Sydney towards his father's forge.

Two sheep had been carried off by werewolves last month, he explained enthusiastically, and if any more were lost this month, the villagers were going to form a hunting-party and he was old enough to join this time. Jennifer and her little brother Kelly  fought constantly and Jennifer had started telling her friends that a Changeling had replaced him in the crib and her _real_ brother was living with the Sidhe now. The harvest was going to be a bad one this year, he could tell, because the weather was not being at all cooperative in spite of Audra's best efforts. Most interesting to him, though, was the fact that Brenna had spotted a white-clad figure lurking around the burial-place more than once now, always very late at night. Connor was convinced that it was a banshee, which he announced as they entered the forge.

The heat in the small forge was almost overwhelming to Sydney, so she stayed near the door, as far away from the furnace as possible. The smith was an enormous man of not less than fifty, who was currently occupied in beating a piece of metal into what looked like it would become a plowshare. He looked up at their entry, and at the mention of the word 'banshee'.

"There's no such thing as Banshees, Connor..." Ewan informed his son firmly but gently. His voice had the strongest Irish accent Sydney had ever heard, even in Ireland. "Now why don't you get that bread home to your mother before she starts screaming like one?"

"Bye, dad! Bye, Syd!" Connor called over his shoulder as he left at a run.

The smith nodded politely to Sydney and moved the piece of metal back into a pile of coals. "Can I help you with something, ma'am?" he asked in a quite voice. 

"Actually, I was just kind of curious to see what your forge looked like." Sydney smiled at the soft-spoken man. "Don't let me keep you from your work."

"You sure, ma'am?" he asked.

Sydney nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. Please, don't let me keep you."

He shrugged and picked up the bellows. Another piece of equipment that was totally out of time and place in this medieval forge. "Not used to working for an audience..." he explained with a shrug as he worked. "You're a... scholar, Audra said?" he asked, picking up his hammer.

"That's right." Sydney nodded and sat back, watching him work for several minutes. His technique was wonderful, she decided finally, a perfect blend of techniques from at least three distinct-time periods, only the best of each.

When he finished, he turned to Sydney again. "Hot in here. Care to join me outside?"

Sydney followed him outside and accepted a cup of water from the hand-pump. "Thanks. I needed that."

He nodded. "It can get stifling in there, but it's worse in the summer."

"I can imagine." Sydney nodded.

"In the summer, it's easier only to work at night, when it's cooler."

"At night? Aren't you afraid?" Sydney asked. Everyone she had talked to so far, even the children, seemed horrified at the prospect of going out after dark.

He shrugged. "The Sidhe seldom come into the village. Now, when the moon is full, that's a different matter..." He shrugged as though this were obvious.

"You said you don't believe in Banshees?" Sydney asked.

"Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say I don't believe in them, but _I've_ never seen one. Nor spoken to anyone who has."

"I thought Connor said Brenna had?"

"Brenna saw a ghostly woman in white near the burial-place. The children here have active imaginations. They filled in the blanks and decided it _must_ be a Banshee." He poured himself another cup of water. "It's absurd, though. Banshees don't haunt burial-chambers. If it were one, it would be haunting the village."

Sydney nodded. Nigel was the expert in Irish folklore, so she would have to double-check with him, but she was pretty sure that Ewan was right. "What do you think it is?"

Ewan shrugged. "A Wight, perhaps. Or an apparition."

"You think it's possible that Brenna's imagining things?" Sydney asked carefully.

He shook his head immediately. "Not our Brenna, no. Girl has Audra's sense. Level-headed."

Sydney nodded. "Could it have been a human that Brenna saw?"

Ewan considered for a moment. "I wouldn't know. I don't think that there are many, at least not from this village, who would go out into the wilds after dark."

Sydney nodded. "But Brenna does?"

He nodded. "Girl knows no fear. Her faith is absolute. It's why Audra took her on."

Sydney nodded. She started to ask another question, but her jaw dropped as she saw Nigel walking towards them, arm in arm with a redheaded woman, his crutches nowhere to be seen. He was not even limping.

"Look who I found, Syd..." he said with a smile.

The woman smiled. "Good day, Professor Fox."

Sydney gave her a surprised smile and nodded. "Hi."

"Who's this?" Ewan asked Sydney, before politely adding, "Good day, miss."

Bridgit smiled at him. "Hello, smith. A good day to you as well." She curtsied. "Professor Fox, may we have a moment of your time?"

A little bemused, Sydney followed them from the smithy.

***

"Arm in arm with her, I tell you!" Brenna hissed to Audra. 

Audra considered this in quiet surprise. "And you're positive that it was, in fact, our Lady?"

Brenna nodded. "It _was_ her." She shook her head. "These are no ordinary mortals, milady."

Audra sighed. "Perhaps not. The fact remains that they _are_ our guests. We owe them our hospitality, and how much more so now that we know that they have Her favor?"

Brenna shrugged sullenly. "What would you have me do?"

"Exactly as you are now, child. Watch them, help them if you can. Find out who brought them here and why."

"What if they are not what they claim?" Brenna asked quietly. "What if they mean harm?"

"Faith, my child."

"Always..." Brenna rose and turned to leave.

"Find them, child. See if our Lady will grace us with Her presence."

Brenna curtsied. "As you command." She turned and strode quickly from the hut.

Audra shook her head curiously. "Odd..." she whispered thoughtfully, convinced that this whole bizarre occurrence was some omen.


	6. Theories

Sorry for the delay in getting this up. My muse is being a _very _temperamental girl this week… 

**Chapter 6 -- Theories**

"Banshees do not haunt burial-chambers..." Bridgit told Sydney firmly. "Whatever Brenna is seeing... it is not a Banshee."

Nigel nodded confirmation. "Banshees usually haunt a specific family or group of families. Their cries aren't fatal, that's a fallacy... they just presage the death of a person."

"So what's Brenna seeing?" Sydney asked.

"A Wight, perhaps." Bridgit shrugged. "Why so interested in this, Professor? I would have thought that you would be more interested in finding a way home..."

Sydney shook her head. "Don't know. Can't shake the idea that it's all connected."

"Everything's connected..." Bridgit told her wisely.

"Meaning it _is_ connected to our being here?" Sydney asked.

"Not necessarily." Bridgit shrugged. "It's just something I heard on Witchblade once."

Nigel stared at her dubiously. "You watch a lot of TV, do you?"

"Nah. I just think Ian's kind of cute. Strange, really... Normally, I'm only interested in British guys..." She smiled benignly at Nigel.

"Bridgit, step away from the boyfriend..." Sydney suggested softly.

Nigel blushed and bowed his head. "Um, the topic at hand, ladies..." he muttered.

"I think we embarrassed him, Professor." Bridgit smiled.

Sydney grinned curiously at Nigel. "I think you're right, Bridgit. Fun, isn't it?"

Nigel cleared his throat loudly. "Ladies? The topic at hand?"

"What _was_ the topic at hand?" Sydney asked, frowning, as she tried to remember where the conversation had been going before it had been sidetracked.

"I believe we were still establishing that..." Bridgit provided. "But we _had_ established that it was not a Banshee."

"But it might have been a Wight?" Sydney asked.

Bridgit nodded. "It is possible. You could ask Brenna. I'm sure she has a theory."

Nigel nodded. "Hadn't thought of that. Will you come back to the village with us?"

She shook her head. "No, I think not. Being a god has its disadvantages. The biggest is that it can be difficult to mingle freely with your worshipers. Even Brenna is almost afraid of me." She turned and started walking back in the direction of the forest. "If you require me, you know how to find me..."

Nigel and Sydney stared after her, Sydney shaking her head. "I'll give her this, Nigel. She knows how and when to make an exit. Wish she'd given us some more definitive answers, though."

"She has her reasons, I'm sure."

Sydney nodded. "Yeah, I just wish that she'd actually let us in on what they were."

Nigel sighed and nodded in agreement. "She fixed my foot, though." Grinning he lifted it from the ground, wiggling it to demonstrate. "Which is good because I doubt we're going to be out of here in time for my Monday morning physical therapy session."

"Try to think positive, Nigel..." Sydney suggested with a grin, sliding an arm around his waist. "Ready to go back to the village?"

He sighed reluctantly. "Yes, I suppose. It _is_ beautiful out here, though."

"Yeah, except for the wolves and the evil fairies..." Sydney laughed.

"Now, Syd, be fair... Not all of the fairies are evil..." Nigel shook his head, the absurdity of the situation finally setting in fully. 

They laughed together for a few minutes, then Sydney sighed and shook her head. "We're still not any closer to finding our way home, Nigel."

He sighed and glanced at her. "What are we going to do, Syd?"

"I don't know yet. We'll think of something."

"When you talked to the villagers today, did you find out anything about who might have brought us here or why?"

She shook her head. "No. According to everyone I talked to, Audra and Brenna are the only two people in the area capable of doing magic."

"And Bridgit says that if it had been them, she would know it."

"Which means we're right back where we started." She scowled and shook her head violently. "Damn it, Nigel..."

"I know, Syd." He gently slid an arm around her shoulder. "We _will_ get home. It just might take some time."

She nodded and decided to approach the situation more analytically. "Step one, figure out who brought us here."

"Step two, figure out why..." Nigel agreed.

"Forget _why_." Sydney shook her head. "Step two is making them send us back!"

"What if they refuse? I mean, obviously they _want_ something from us."

"If they refuse... we'll... convince them." Sydney's tone of voice told Nigel that she was not entirely averse to using physical violence if that was what it took.

"Okay, but let's not be unduly hasty." Nigel hoped he sounded reasonable instead of frightened.

Sydney glanced at him and sighed. "You scared?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Horrified." Sydney shook her head. "It's been bad before, Nigel, but it's _never_ been quite like this."

Nigel sighed and nodded in agreement. "We've been through worse, Syd. We'll get through this, too."

"Yeah..." she sighed. "I hope so."

"Well, at least we don't have classes on Monday." Nigel smiled, trying to cheer her up.

Sydney grinned and gently punched his shoulder. "Come on, Nigel. Let's get back."

"All right, Syd." He slipped his arms around her as they started back towards the village.

***

"They left with our Lady and came back alone..." Brenna reported quietly.

Audra sighed. "Life used to be so wonderfully simple. When is the last time the gods walked the earth, child?"

Brenna shook her head. Dates were not important and they both knew it. "It _always_ presages something cataclysmic."

Audra sighed and nodded. "Yes, it does."

"They'll bring doom on all of us. They should be--"

"_What?_" Audra demanded, rising and grabbing the girl's arm. She glared at her. "They should be _what_, Brenna? Killed?"

Brenna nodded defensively. "Yes."

"People in the service of our Lady do _not_ take innocent lives!" Audra hissed.

"I serve the people of this village _first_!" Brenna shouted. "If these outsiders are a danger to them, I will not _hesitate_ to neutralize that threat!" She looked up at Eala, hovering at the door of the hut. "_What?_" she demanded.

"I, uh..." Eala held up the wrapped bundle of bread in her hands. Dropping it on the table, she left without another word.

Audra shook her head. When she spoke, her voice was once again gentle. "You are under a great deal of stress, child. The apparition at the burial-place and now these outsiders... Go and meditate. Find your peace and _then_ we may consider this matter further."

Brenna nodded sullenly and stalked out of the hut.

"Brenna..." Audra called after her abruptly.

Brenna turned and saw Audra in the door of the hut. "Yes, my Lady?" she asked quietly, approaching her.

"Child..." Audra sighed and took Brenna's face in her hands. "Do nothing in haste. The signs are there, _yes_, but the future is not written in stone. Be as brave as I know you capable of being..."

Brenna nodded slowly. "Wise counsel, Audra. Thank you." 

"You worry for the people you are sworn to protect, as I myself do. But there is nothing to be gained by what you have proposed. In time, this will become clear to you as well."

Brenna sighed and whispered, "I pray that you are correct in this."

"Much yet remains to be seen. You may be right. These people _may_ be our doom. Or perhaps they are our salvation? _She_ works in mysterious ways."

Brenna nodded, unable to deny Audra's gentle words. "She does. I will stay my hand and meditate for guidance."

"That's my good girl..." Audra gently patted her shoulder and kissed her on the forehead. "If I may help..."

"Only She can help me in this matter, I think."

Audra nodded. "Wise words, child. You have spoken much in haste today, but there is a time for haste and a time for deliberation. This _is_ such a time."

Brenna nodded. "I will make you proud."

"I have never been less than proud of you, child. Make Her proud."

"I will aspire to do so."

"Do not try. Just _do_." Audra gave her a faint, reassuring smile, then re-entered the hut.

Brenna nodded. Sighing, she walked into the stable.

***

"Well, from what Bridgit has explained to me," Nigel was telling Sydney as they walked, "it isn't so much a different place as it is a different realm."

"Come again, Nigel?" Sydney shook her head to indicate that she did not fully understand.

"Um, almost like a spirit-world. Another dimension, if you will."

"Spirit-world?" Sydney repeated. 

He nodded. "Yes. The realm of the fairies. Bridgit said that the Sidhe have lived here since well before the first humans came."

"How did the humans get here?" Sydney asked.

"The Elohim brought them there to protect them from various Persecutions throughout history."

Sydney nodded. "How do the two groups get along?"

"Uneasy truce. They leave each other alone and everyone's happy."

Sydney nodded. "It's strange, Nigel. Almost everyone here seems so terrified of them."

"People fear what they don't understand, Syd."

"Eala said the same thing..."

"Who?"

"Oh, young girl. Does the town's baking. One of the few people I talked to who doesn't really seem that scared of the Sidhe."

"Hmm..." Nigel nodded reflectively. He stopped abruptly. "Hey! I just had a thought..."

Sydney glanced at him curiously. "Shoot."

"What if one of the Sidhe brought us here?"

Sydney frowned thoughtfully, turning the theory over in her head. "Well, they _have_ supernatural powers, don't they?"

"Well, that's certainly the impression I've always had from the old folklore. Not sure how much or how far it extends, though."

"We'll look into it." Sydney nodded. "What would they want with us, though?"

"Well, the same things as any human would, presumably."

"To hunt down some relic. But what?"

"And why? Seems like it would be easier to use magic to find the relic."

She shook her head. "Doesn't matter. The point is that we're here. We need to figure out how and why if we're _ever_ going to get back home."

He nodded. "Bridgit says that she can't help us until we've found out who brought us here. Something about her being bound by rules as well."

"Strange when you think about it... In every myth I've ever read, the gods really _aren't_."

Nigel frowned thoughtfully. "There's the Norse mythos. The gods were bound by certain rules in that. Capable of dying, even." He shrugged. "I suppose that much of what we've always seen in myths about the absolute power of the gods is just so much hyperbole."

She nodded. "Guess so. Myths are based on fact, but, by necessity, they get exaggerated." She sighed. "Not that it's really important right now."

Nigel sighed and nodded. "No, I suppose not. What kind of relic do you suppose it is?" he asked as they resumed their interrupted walk.

She shook her head. "Here, who knows. Some mythic sword, maybe. Or some artifact of the gods."

"Well, I seriously doubt that Bridgit would approve if we told whoever brought us here how to find, say, her Cauldron."

Sydney shook her head. "No. We don't tell anyone _anything_. Whoever brought us here, we are _not_ negotiating with them, and we _definitely _aren't going on any relic hunts for them."

Nigel nodded in agreement. "I think that might be the wisest policy. Even if it does mean that we're never going to get home..."

Sydney stared at him. "Nigel, we _are_ going to get home. Whoever brought us here... if they did that, they can send us back."

"But if we aren't helpful to them, why should they?"

"Because, if they don't, I'll beat them within an inch of their life." Sydney smiled reassuringly.

"Well, with that threat hanging over me, I'd do _anything_ you said." Nigel winked at her. "Hey, who's that?" he asked, pointing to a woman in a red dress half-running through the field towards them.

"Looks like Eala." Sydney shaded her eyes with her hand and nodded. "Yeah, that's her."

"Ma'am, sir..." Eala puffed as they met.

"Take deep breaths, Eala..." Sydney advised gently.

When the girl had recovered her breath, Nigel gently asked, "Is something wrong?"

She nodded. "Yes, I think so. I think... I think that you might both be in danger."

"What gives you that idea?" Sydney asked, glancing at Nigel. He looked as shocked as she felt.

"I was delivering Audra her weekly supply of bread when I overheard her arguing with Brenna. They were _shouting_..."

"What about?" Nigel asked gently, kneeling in front of her.

"You." She looked from Nigel to Sydney. "Both of you. Brenna was very angry."

"About _us_?" Sydney asked.

Eala nodded. "She thinks you're a danger to us. I think she means to do you some harm."

Sydney considered this in silence. Nigel paced, shaking his head.

"Please, guard yourselves..." Eala muttered. "Brenna... she's very strong, very dangerous to creatures that put us in danger. If she considers you an enemy of the people..."

"It's going to be okay, Eala..." Sydney told her gently. "Nigel and I are more than capable of defending ourselves."

Eala nodded. "I hope so. Something like this... it would be bad for everyone."

"Yes, it would..." Nigel agreed gently. "You should get back now. It'll be dark soon."

She nodded and turned to go. She paused and glanced back at them. "_Please_ be careful..."

"We will..." Sydney assured her. When Eala was out of earshot, she glanced at Nigel. "Just when I thought things couldn't get more complicated..."

Nigel sighed and nodded. "Brenna doesn't strike me as a woman to be trifled with. Being her enemy is probably not conducive to living a long and healthy life."

"You think she brought us here?" Sydney asked. "Got spooked when she saw us with Bridgit?"

"And now thinks that the best way to deflect attention from herself might be to accuse us of something?" Nigel nodded thoughtfully. It was certainly possible.

"Yeah." Sydney nodded. "Plus killing us kind of destroys the evidence. She _did_ find us. Maybe it wasn't luck."

Nigel nodded in agreement. "Maybe she was waiting, hmm?"

Sydney sighed. "We're going to have to keep a close eye on her, whether she's responsible for bringing us here or not."

They started back towards the village, both feeling increasingly uneasy, especially as the sun began to sink in the sky.


	7. Woman in White

Author's Note: Okay, here I go further mangling all things mythological (and Wicca). Again, I beg poetic license and ask your forgiveness. "Book of Shadows" is, traditionally, a book in which a Wicca (certain other neo-pagans as well) records spells, meditations, etc. Called a Book of _Shadows_ because its contents were, traditionally, a very well-kept secret... I'm borrowing the name _only_. Nothing else that I may write later about this specific book bears _any_ resemblance to actual truth. Trust me, the more of this story I post, the farther from that I stray…

Oh, yeah, and sorry for the long lapse between the last chapter and this. RL can be a real pain in the hindquarters at times... I probably won't be able to get up more than a chapter a week from now on, for which I am REALLY sorry.****

**Chapter 7 -- Woman in White**

"So, what do you think?" Nigel asked as they returned to the guest-lodge.

"About Brenna?" Sydney asked. "Trouble."

Nigel nodded in agreement, sighing. "Something tells me that she is _not_ a woman to make an enemy of."

"Yeah, well, neither am I." Sydney shook her head. "Here's a thought, Nigel."

Nigel glanced uncertainly at her. "Yeah?"

"Let's head up to the burial-mound tonight."

Nigel swallowed hard. "You really think that's wise?"

"Nigel..." Sydney walked to him and slid her arms around his waist. "Come on." She regarded him with wide eyes. "Please?"

Nigel shook his head. "That would work better if I didn't know you so well, Syd."

She laughed.

"I'll go, Syd, I will..." Nigel sighed. "I'm just not sure it's wise."

Sydney sighed and nodded. "I know, Nigel. Honestly, I'm not sure it's that smart, either. But I'm not going to sit around on my butt waiting for something to happen, either."

Nigel smiled faintly. "Why, Syd, how uncharacteristic of you."

She shook her head, grinning. "Shut up and kiss me."

"With pleasure..." Nigel assured her, cheerfully complying.

When he had pulled away, Sydney rested her forehead against his. "So..."

"So..." Nigel sighed. He smiled faintly at her. It was hard _not_ to smile when confronted with that face. "What now?"

"Now... we take a walk."

"In the dark."

"_Whoooo_..." Sydney snickered for a few minutes before growing serious. "Yes, Nigel, in the _dark_."

Nigel sighed deeply, but shrugged. "Okay, Syd. But I'd feel better about this whole thing if you were armed."

"It was a _picnic_, Nigel. You expected me to bring my crossbow?" Sydney shook her head, grinning.

Nigel smiled. "Well, when you put it like _that_..." Laughing, he pulled open the cottage door. "Ladies first."

"Oh, how chivalrous." Shaking her head and grinning, Sydney walked through the door.

Grinning, Nigel followed. The dark seemed a lot less ominous with Sydney leading the way, so he retained his grin as he followed Sydney through the village.

"Going somewhere?" a low voice asked them.

Nigel yelped and jumped, spinning to face the source of the words. "Oh, Brenna. Hello." He smiled nervously at the woman who stood in the darkness, regarding them via the lantern-light.

"Did you happen to miss my warning about going out after dark?" she asked quietly.

Sydney rested her hands on her hips. "Dark doesn't seem to bother _you_..."

"Mmm..." Brenna regarded her steadily. "If you were smart, the dark _would_ bother you."

Sydney smiled faintly. "Again, the dark doesn't seem to bother _you._"

Brenna raised an eyebrow, a faint smile on her face. "No, it doesn't. _Should_, but doesn't." Her smile grew unsettling. "Going somewhere?" she repeated.

"Yeah." Sydney nodded. "We are."

"Where?"

Sydney scowled. "None of your business."

Brenna regarded her in silence for a moment, ignoring Nigel completely. "You're going to the burial place. I wouldn't were I you."

"But you _aren't_ us..." Nigel pointed out. "And we _are_ going."

Sydney nodded. "You have a problem with that?"

Brenna shook her head once. "Your funeral. You want to fall prey to whatever lurks there, that's no skin off my nose."

Sydney glared at her. "In fact, it would be rather _convenient_ for you, wouldn't it?"

"Actually, _yes_, it would be." With a bow, Brenna vanished into the darkness.

"Well, that was... interesting..." Sydney muttered.

"That woman scares me, Syd..." Nigel told her softly.

Sydney nodded. "Yeah. Wouldn't want to piss her off." She started out of the village.

"Um, Syd, I think we've already managed _that_..." Nigel muttered, following.

Brenna shook her head as she watched them go. With a sigh, she went to Audra. "They're going to the burial mound."

"Why?" Audra asked.

"Maybe they're looking for something." Her voice was tense. "Something long buried, perhaps?"

Audra frowned. "Go!" she ordered, waving her hand in the direction of the door.

Brenna left at a run.

Alone in the cabin, Audra shook her head. "Which god did I offend to be reborn into such times as these?" she muttered with a deep sigh.

*** 

"Um, it might have been wise to grab some torches before we left, Syd..." Nigel muttered as they approached the mound.

Sydney nodded. "Yeah, Nigel. You could have something there..."

"We'll never be able to see the inside." Nigel sighed. "Without a torch, the inside only has natural light once a year..."

Sydney nodded. "Well, probably smells anyway."

"So what are we doing here?" Nigel asked. "Waiting to see the ghost?"

Sydney nodded. "Basically, yes."

"Oh, bloody hell, Syd. You don't actually _believe_ that tripe?"

"I don't know, Nigel..." She shrugged. "Right now, I'm not sure _what_ to believe."

"If you believe nothing else, believe that torches would make your grave-robbing more successful..."

Sydney rolled her eyes before turning around. "Brenna. How good to see you again..."

"You lack a certain degree of enthusiasm, Miss Fox." Brenna stood a few feet away, wearing an unreadable expression. "Tell me what you seek here."

Sydney glared at her. "Answers."

"You'll find none. Only the long-buried resides here. Leave it."

"No." Sydney shook her head firmly. "What's in there that you don't want us to find?"

Brenna stared levelly at her. "I want you gone as badly as you want to _be_ gone. If your answers were in there, I'd bring you straight to them. Leave it."

"Prove to me that there's nothing in there..." Sydney challenged.

"I will not have you desecrating our holy ground." She shook her head. "Let the dead rest."

"We hear they don't do _that_ anyway..." Nigel said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wished he had not said them. 

Brenna fixed him with an icy stare. "Then you would be _twice_ as wise to let the dead past lie buried."

"What are you scared of?" Sydney asked her.

"What do you know of fear?" Brenna scoffed. "You wouldn't recognize it if it ran screaming at your approach. You would drop dead of fright the first time you heard a banshee call or saw an actual werewolf."

Nigel was inclined to agree with Brenna's assessment, but Sydney just shook her head and said, "We've been up against some pretty scary opponents in our time. The ones who made the mistake of underestimating us aren't around any more."

"Is that a threat?" Brenna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Syd..." Nigel muttered anxiously.

She ignored him. "Consider it friendly advice. Do _not_ underestimate us, Brenna. And _don't_ screw with us."

Nigel sighed. "All we want is to get home."

"Good." Brenna smiled, but it was not a particularly friendly sight. "Then we want the same thing. Leave this place. You'll find nothing here that you _want_ to find."

"Hey, maybe the ghost will get us." Sydney smiled at her. "Solve all your problems."

"No, only one of them." Brenna abruptly shifted her gaze from Sydney to Nigel. "I saw who you were talking with today."

"Um..." Nigel stared blankly for a moment, until he realized that she was talking about Bridgit. "Not a crime, is it?" he asked, trying to keep his voice casual.

"No, but it isn't exactly normal, either. I know that the two of you are not as you seem. I will watch you closely." With this pronouncement, Brenna turned to leave.

Nigel gasped and grabbed her shoulder abruptly. "Your ghost's here..." he hissed in her ear, pointing.

Sydney and Brenna both looked in the direction he indicated. Sydney's jaw dropped as she took in the ghostly figure, dressed all in flowing white, who stood about a hundred yards from the burial-mound. The figure quickly vanished into the forest.

"We should return now..." Brenna said impassively. "It will be back." Without waiting to see if Nigel and Sydney followed, she started back towards the village.

"What is it?" Sydney demanded as they followed.

Brenna spoke without looking at them, not slowing her pace. "Not a banshee, certainly, but almost certainly a Sidhe of some sort."

"Is it dangerous?" Sydney asked.

"_All_ Sidhe are dangerous." Brenna stopped and turned to face them. "Every Sidhe ever born into the land has the potential to cause any human ever born here great harm. We avoid them, they avoid us, everyone is happy."

"Except that this one doesn't seem entirely clear on the whole avoidance thing..." Nigel said.

Brenna winced almost imperceptibly.

"What does it want with a _burial_ mound, though?" Nigel asked.

Another slight wince from Brenna. "Let what is buried remain buried. Do not go back."

"Mounds... They're commonly believed to be portals to the realm of the Sidhe..." Nigel said abruptly. 

"This _is_ their realm..." Brenna informed him calmly as they approached the village. "Go back to your cabin and stay there until the sun comes up. Many dangerous things roam the land at night. The Sidhe are not the only inhuman creatures that live here."

Sydney looked her over once, then caught Nigel's arm. "Come on, Nigel. We'll go back tomorrow."

Brenna shook her head and returned to Audra's hut.

"Well?" the older woman asked quietly.

"I found them at the mound. I saw it again. I convinced them to return to their cottage."

"Will they leave the mound alone?"

"I don't know. They _say_ they only want a way home. I told them that they won't find it there."

Audra nodded and sighed. "Did the creature come close?"

Brenna shook her head. "No. It stayed by the tree-line again. It always does when it sees me."

"Is it afraid of you?" 

"If it's not, it should be."

"Brenna..." Audra said in a warning tone.

"I don't know if it's afraid. All I know is that it hovers around the burial-mound but vanishes into the woods if it sees me. What does it want, my Lady?"

Audra shook her head. "Maybe nothing." She ignored Brenna's dubious expression. "The guests..."

"Them... is it related?"

"I do not know." Audra shrugged. "Someone summoned them here, Brenna. Find out who."

"How? No one here uses magic except us."

"Obviously someone _does_."

"Or some_thing_."

"Or something..." Audra agreed quietly. "Go, make sure things are as they should be."

Brenna nodded and left the hut, leaving a very troubled Audra behind. "We live in evil times."

"Times are not evil, old friend. _People_ are evil."

Audra glanced up at Bridgit, not entirely surprised by her sudden appearance. "Can I offer my Lady a cup of tea?"

"Please." Bridgit nodded and sat down, sweeping her long black hair behind her shoulders. "Brenna is troubled."

"She is not the only one." Audra poured a cup of tea and handed it to Bridgit. "These people... your friends..."

"They are harmless." Bridgit smiled faintly. "Although Sydney Fox, like Brenna, has a warrior's spirit to her. She will fight to protect herself and Nigel."

"Is he a consort of yours?"

"Not your concern..." Bridgit retorted. She glanced reflectively into her cup. "His heart beats for her alone. I would not stand in the way of such love."

"Why are they here?" Audra asked.

"Why do you think?" Bridgit replied quietly, staring at Audra.

"They want the Book?" Audra breathed.

"_They_ want to get home..." Bridgit corrected mildly. "Whoever brought them here, however, may very well be seeking the Book of Shadows."

Audra cursed quietly. "Not a good thing, my Lady."

"No, it is not." She looked up at Audra. "Your Brenna would do better to work _with_ them to keep the volume from being rediscovered. And you may tell her I said so."

Audra nodded. "I most certainly shall. Will you be--"

"No." Bridgit shook her head. "This matter does not concern me. I can not involve myself any further than I already have."

Audra nodded. "Thank you for involving yourself this far."

Bridgit nodded and rose, taking Audra's hands in her own. "These two people... they are special. Take care of them for me. Help them as far as you may, and, always, have faith."

"Always." Audra nodded.

"Good cheer, sister." Bridgit kissed Audra's forehead and quietly left the hut.

"Easy for you to say..." Audra murmured, alone in the darkness.

***

Although she never would have admitted it, even to Audra who was both adoptive mother and surrogate sister to her, Brenna was terrified of the dark. More accurately, she was scared of the things that she knew to lurk there. It never stopped her from fulfilling her duties to the villagers, but it was fact. Brenna _hated_ the dark. 

And, as she held her torch high over her head and approached the burial mound for her second time tonight, she hated the strangers whose presence had forced her out into it for a second time in one night. Sidhe, ghosts, spirits, wild animals... and clouds over the moon that was normally her one source of comfort.

Shivering, she drew her cloak more tightly about her slender frame and squared her shoulders. There was no shame in being afraid, she knew, only in letting that dictate her actions. So she moved towards the mound, fully intent on entering. She stopped abruptly as she saw movement near the tree-line, a flash of white retreating into the trees.

Whatever it was, it had every villager in fear. It was her job to protect them, not her job to stand by idly as her friends and relatives were terrorized.

Ignoring every instinct, turning her back on years of teaching designed to keep people out of the woods after dark, Brenna pursued. The figure in white saw and moved away more quickly. Knowing that the torch would bring with it the danger of forest-fire if she carried it into the trees, Brenna dropped it onto the bare, packed earth around the burial-mound and then ran into the forest, following close on the heels of the white-clad figure.

***

"You want to go back tonight?" Nigel asked, shaking his head.

"You want to wait?" Sydney replied, raising an eyebrow.

"_Yes!_" Nigel said firmly. "Syd... Think for a moment."

She sighed. "I just want to get home, Nigel."

"So do I, Syd." He sighed and pulled her into a hug. "But we both know that going off half-cocked isn't the way to bring that about. Let's just... sleep on it."

"Brenna wants us not to go into the burial-mound for a reason..." Sydney pointed out. She slid out of his grasp and pouring herself a cup of wine. "Want one?"

Nigel nodded and sat down. "Please."

"It _has_ been a long day..." Sydney admitted, sitting down next to him. "But I can't shake the feeling that there's something in that mound that she doesn't want us to find." She handed him a cup of wine and took a long sip of her own.

"Maybe there _is_..." Nigel agreed, taking the wine with a smile. "Thanks, Syd." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "But it might just as easily be unrelated to all of this. She thinks we're grave-robbers, Syd. She's a Holy Woman trying to protect Holy Ground. The Celts were known to bury all sorts of treasure in those mounds along with their dead. That could be all there is to it."

Sydney nodded slowly. "You could be right, Nigel..."

"Syd..." Nigel began gently, turning to face her. "I _know_ that you very badly want to get home. So do I. But we're not going to do that by making an enemy out of probably the second most powerful person in this village."

She sighed and nodded. "I know that, Nigel. I just..." she trailed off, not sure what she wanted to say.

"You're a woman of action." Nigel smiled. "I'd noticed. It's one of the things I love about you."

She smiled at this. His ability to finish her sentences for her was one of the things she loved about _him_. "Nigel..." she muttered, leaning forward and gently kissing him. 

After a few moments of reflection, she rose, pulling him to his feet with her without breaking the kiss. She stopped kissing him long enough to push him onto the bed. He sat there, looking a bit stunned, as Sydney sat down next to him and pulled him into her arms, kissing him again.

"Mmm..." Nigel breathed when she was done. "Letting the wine go to your head, Syd?" he asked, panting a little.

She grinned. "Actually, no. I was hoping it had gone to your head enough to let _me_ take advantage of _you_."

He smiled. "You don't need to get me drunk for that, Syd. In fact, if you don't mind, I'd _rather_ be sober. Remember better that way."

Sydney laughed softly and leaned in to kiss him again.

Sighing, Nigel held up his hand. "You're probably going to hate me for this..." he began quietly.

Sydney stared at him. "It's too soon, isn't it?" she asked softly.

Nigel nodded slowly. "Syd, I love you and I don't want you to do anything that you're going to regret later. We have all the time in the world." He watched nervously, wondering what her reaction was going to be, sure she would be angry. 

Sydney stared at him thoughtfully for several minutes before speaking. "Nigel, it's official..." she said with a sigh, shaking her head.

Nigel's face fell, sure that he had just ruined everything. "What is, Syd?" he asked in a whisper.

"I love you..." she whispered in his ear.

Nigel glanced up, startled. "Syd?"

"You're right. It's too soon and we're both under way too much stress to make this kind of decision." She smiled and kissed his cheek, rising. "I love you..." she repeated, amazed that it had taken her so long to admit it to herself. "Good night."

He smiled that goofy smile she loved so much. "Sleep well, Syd."

She started towards the other bed, then changed her mind. "Want company, Nigel?" she asked. "_Just_ company."

He smiled and nodded. "I'd like that."

Sydney grinned. "Okay. Let me go get changed."

Nigel grinned as he changed into his own night-shirt. He had done the right thing. A woman like Sydney was worth the wait. As they curled up together, that belief was only reaffirmed.

"So, tomorrow do you want to check out the burial mound?" he asked gently, playing with her hair.

She nodded. "I talked to almost everyone in the village today. They all seem like dead ends. Don't know what else that leaves."

"Maybe nothing."

She glanced back at him, startled. "You don't think we're _stuck_ here?"

He shrugged. "Not necessarily, no. But we might be going about it all wrong. Maybe it's time to look at things from a different direction..."

Sydney nodded. Where she could always be trusted to rush into the fray, Nigel could always be trusted to approach things with caution and logic. The two approaches, which should have made it difficult for them to work together, actually suited each other nicely. Sydney and Nigel balanced each other out and kept each other honest.

"Okay, Nigel. What do we know?"

"So far? Not much." He sighed thoughtfully. He would have traded his healed foot for access to a library or the Internet. "Let's see. We know that neither Brenna nor Audra brought us here."

Sydney nodded. "Right. The one person here we _can_ trust told us that. Which means that it was someone else."

Nigel nodded. "Right. Bridgit said that some people have found a way to use the magic that's in the land or in their own bodies to cast spells." He paused, remembering the earlier conversation. "She seemed to really disapprove the practice."

"Well, that would be cutting in on her territory..." Sydney pointed out.

He shook his head. "I got the impression from her that there was a lot more to it than that. She is _not_ a jealous god, Syd. She adores magic. I think she'd be a lot happier if everyone used it. I think..." He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's harmful somehow if you do it wrong."

Sydney nodded, remembering how one of her grad students had once gotten sick after accidentally invoking the powers of a magical amulet. "So, our culprit is bootlegging magic?" she asked.

Nigel nodded. "That much we do know. But how do you tell when someone is?"

She shook her head. "No idea, Nigel. I've talked to everyone in the village for at least a little while today, and I wouldn't bet on it being any one of them."

"Does it _have_ to be someone who lives in this village?" Nigel asked.

"No other people around, according to everyone I've talked to."

"Hmm..." Nigel muttered. 

"Let's sleep on it..." Sydney suggested with a yawn. 

"My kingdom for a library..." Nigel sighed, closing his eyes. "Night, Syd."

"Night, Nigel."

***

They awoke together, startled by a pounding on the door. Sydney tried to get out of bed, but found her legs tangled with Nigel's. Both landed on the floor with a grunt.

"Sorry, Syd..." Nigel groaned, climbing off of her and helping her to her feet. "Yes, we hear you!" he called as the pounding on the door continued. "Wait a second!"

The pounding ceased and he walked over to the door, opening it. Audra stood alone in the pre-dawn darkness, wide-eyed. "Tell me that you have seen her..."

"Seen who?" Sydney asked, joining them at the door.

"Come in, Audra..." Nigel said gently, taking her by the arm and steering her inside. "What's wrong?"

"Brenna. She did not come home tonight."

"Wait..." Sydney protested. "We saw her walk into your hut after we were at the burial-mound."

"I sent her out again. She has not come home yet." Audra shook her head, tears in her eyes.

"Okay, calm down..." Sydney said, maneuvering her into a chair and sitting her down. "Just tell us what happened." She crouched in front of Audra.

"I sent her back to the mound to check on something. She did not return."

"What's there, Audra?" Nigel asked gently. "What didn't Brenna want us to see?"

"A book..." Audra muttered. "It's not important now. We have to find her."

"Yeah, we do." Sydney nodded. "We'll need torches and volunteers."

Audra shook her head. "No. No one can know. Not yet. The panic it would cause..."

Sydney glanced at Nigel. "Okay, just the three of us, then."

Audra nodded. "There are lanterns in my hut."

"Give us five minutes to get dressed..." Nigel told her, picking up his clothes and vanishing into the back room.

Sydney quickly pulled on her clothes. "Audra, I know that Brenna doesn't like us very much…"

"Brenna is protective. This is… who she is." The priestess wiped her eyes and shook her head. "She loves these people."

"We'll find her..." Sydney promised gently.

"We will..." Nigel agreed, returning to the front room. "Let's go."

"If she's hurt..." Audra muttered as they walked towards her hut. 

"_Relax_..." Nigel told her gently, squeezing her arm. "Audra, I promise you, we _will_ find her."

They quickly grabbed three bull's-eye lanterns and started for the burial mound. 

"What time is it?" Nigel asked.

"About three..." Sydney supplied, glancing at her wrist-watch.

"It will rain soon..." Audra announced quietly. 

"You sure?" Sydney asked.

Audra nodded. 

"That's going to make her trail harder to find..." Nigel said.

Sydney nodded in agreement, but hastened to add, "But probably easier to follow once we _have_ found it."

"Well, I can tell you that she's been here..." Nigel announced as they approached the mound.

Sydney glanced at him in surprise. "How's that, oh Great White Hunter?"

Nigel bent over and picked up the extinguished torch. He sniffed it thoughtfully. "It's been out for a while, I think."

Audra took the torch and nodded. "Yes. She must have dropped it here shortly after I sent her out." She exhaled deeply. "Why would she _do_ that?" she demanded, shaking her head in confusion.

"Two possibilities that I see." Sydney told her.

Nigel nodded. "Either she was _forced_ to drop it, or..."

"Or she was afraid to bring it into the forest..." Sydney finished.

Audra glanced towards the tree-line. "I do _not_ think she would go into the forest in the dark. Not alone. Not of her own free will."

Sydney dropped into a crouch and examined the dusty ground. "Nigel, could you hold this?" 

Nigel grabbed her torch and held it up helpfully. "What do you see?"

"Maybe a footprint..." she muttered, examining the depression in the earth thoughtfully. "Hard to tell... She's not that heavy and the ground here is dry."

"Maybe closer to the trees..." Nigel suggested.

Sydney nodded and started towards the trees, staying in a crouch as she moved, examining the ground. "Yeah, this is definitely a boot-print..." She pointed. "But it's small... looks more like it belongs to a child."

Audra bent over her shoulder. "Brenna has very small feet."

"This small?" Sydney asked.

Audra started to shake her head, then paused. "Maybe. I'm not really sure."

"Would any child be out at this hour?" Sydney asked.

Audra shook her head. "No."

"Then it must belong to Brenna..." Nigel said. "By process of elimination..."

"Headed... towards the forest..." Sydney said, nodding and glancing at the tree-line. 

"Without light?" Audra asked. "It makes no sense."

"Why didn't she have a lantern?" Nigel asked. "Why a torch?"

"Torches scare away the wild animals..." Audra explained. "Things know that you are coming when you have a torch."

"Maybe she didn't want someone to know she was coming..." Sydney muttered, straightening.

"We must find her..." Audra muttered, wringing her hands.

"It's going to be okay..." Nigel muttered gently.

They walked towards the forest together, spreading out a few dozen feet, looking for foot-prints or other signs of Brenna.

"Nigel!" Sydney called. "Over here."

He hurried over to her. "Yeah, Syd?"

She held up a small crossbow. The one that Brenna had been leveling at them the first time they saw her.

"Damn..." Nigel muttered. 

"She would _never_ leave that..." Audra announced quietly, joining them.

"It's wound..." Sydney announced. "She was about to fire it at something."

"And it was knocked out of her hand first..." Nigel said, looking around on the ground until he found the bolt a few yards away.

Audra covered her mouth with her hand, shaking.

Sydney drew Nigel a few feet away and kept her voice at a whisper. "There was a struggle here, Nigel. Look at the way the underbrush has been trampled down..."

Nigel nodded and held up the crossbow bolt for her examination, shining the lantern-beam on it. "Blood, Syd."

Sydney glanced back at Audra, who was crouched in the center of the clearing, holding her hands a few inches above the ground. "What's she doing?"

Nigel shook his head. "Praying, probably. You think she's dead?"

Sydney shook her head. "Or she wasn't when she was taken. It doesn't make sense to carry off a body."

"Then there's a trail around here somewhere..." Nigel said.

Sydney nodded. "All we have to do is find it."

"What about her?" Nigel asked.

"We bring her back to her hut."

"Trail'll grow cold, Syd..." he muttered.

"I don't like the idea of bringing her along, Nigel. I doubt she can fight if it come to that."

He nodded. "So we bring her back, then we come back here and look for Brenna?"

Sydney nodded. "I don't see what else we _can_ do. Can't send her back alone in the dark..."

Nigel nodded and they approached Audra. "We're going to bring you home now, Audra..." he told her gently.

"But..."

"Then we're going to come back and comb these woods until we find Brenna..." Sydney added quickly. "We'll need weapons."

Audra extended Brenna's crossbow with a shaking hand. "There are bolts in the hut. Knives as well. All of Brenna's weapons... take what you need, just find her."

Sydney nodded. "Thank you. We _will_ find her, Audra."

Brenna's arsenal turned out to be more formidable than Sydney's own. Brenna could have armed the entire town from this supply, which, Sydney supposed, was the point. Brenna's purpose in the village seemed to be a combination of healer and constable.

Grabbing a handful of bolts, several knives, two small swords, and a backup crossbow for Nigel, they refilled their lanterns and returned to the scene of the crime.


	8. Thirst for Knowledge

**Chapter 8 -- Thirst for Knowledge**

"It's all your fault!" Brenna spat at her captor.

"Shut up..."

"Your fault that the crops failed..."

"Shut _up_."

"Your fault there's a drought..." The accusation was cut off as her captor backhanded her.

"Shut _up!_" 

"The apparitions. The weather. The deaths. All on _your_ head!" Brenna shouted, refusing to be cowed.

"_Shut up!_"

Brenna bit her lip to keep from crying out as her captor struck her again. "To think we _ever_ trusted you..." she managed before another blow landed. 

After that, her mouth was too swollen to allow for easy speech, so she focused her attention on the ropes that bound her wrists. Her absence _would_ be noted by daybreak. Both of their absences. She glared at Eala as the girl paced around the abandoned temple. She had trusted her, listened to her lies, her accusations against the strangers... more willing to believe that all the trials they had suffered were the fault of outsiders than of someone she had known and cared about... She had failed her people.

But Eala had not yet killed her, and that gave her hope. The girl had not yet deciphered the Book of Shadows. If she had, Brenna's presence would have been superfluous. Maybe it was not too late. Of course, if Eala found a way to decipher the writings, it _would_ be. There was a reason that magic was so strictly regulated. The droughts, the famine, the sickness... all no doubt related to Eala's efforts to gain some measure of power.

Looking at Eala now, it was clear that the dark magic was taking its toll on the girl as well. She was drawn and gaunt, the formerly soft lines of her face: hard, her formerly tender expression: bitter. It was consuming the young girl who lacked the power and ability to control it, but Eala was too taken with the power and rush of it all to notice. Brenna sighed and closed her eyes, rotating her wrists against the ropes, scrutinizing them for weaknesses. Her mind did not slow as she worked against the ropes. Much was now clear that had not been before.

"You honestly think the outsiders will help you?" Brenna scoffed.

"If they wish to live long enough to return to their home, they will."

"They will _not_. You've miscalculated, Eala. They're friends to our Lady. They will _never_ help you!"

Eala backhanded her again, but her unnatural strength was already fading and the blow was less painful than the previous ones.

Brenna shook her head. "Already it fades. It is eating you alive, Eala! Turn your back on it while you still may!"

"So you and Audra can retain your monopoly?" Eala shook her head. "No."

Brenna sighed. "You claim to desire knowledge, Eala, but this is not about that. This... this is an abomination. All you can ever gain from this is power, and that power will _destroy_ you."

"As it has you?" Eala scoffed. "You flourish, Brenna..."

"You lack the discipline to control it! It will control _you_! It will _destroy_ you!" Brenna bellowed. "You take what is beautiful and you _twist _it into something hideous!"

Eala rolled her eyes and stuffed a cloth in Brenna's mouth. "How many times do I have to tell you to shut up?" she muttered, shaking her head. "I have _always_ been disgusted by you and your sanctimonious blathering!" She walked to the alter and opened the book. "Well, see what it feels like to be like the rest of us, Brenna. Powerless..." Eala smiled at her before turning her attention to the book.

Brenna shook her head and resumed her struggles. There was a reason that Eala had been passed over for the priestly training. Sweet and biddable though she had been, the girl had _always _lacked both discipline and patience. Obviously, she also lacked an understanding of the responsibilities that magic carried with it. She would destroy herself, and probably everyone in the village in the process. And there was no guarantee, either that the damage would limit itself to the region, or even to Avalon itself.

***

By dawn, the search had been joined by dozens of villagers. As Sydney bent over a broken branch, trying to determine if it constituted a trail-marker, Nigel joined her.

"Anything?" she asked him.

He nodded grimly. "Eala is missing as well."

"The girl? The baker?" Sydney straightened, frowning.

Nigel nodded. "Now, the villagers believe that she was taken, same as Brenna." He inhaled deeply and lowered his voice. There were searchers all around and he did not want them to hear this. "However, Audra has her doubts. She'd like to speak with us."

Sydney nodded. "Ewan!" she called. "Nigel and I are heading back. We need to talk to Audra."

"Grace of the gods with you..." he replied, never taking his eyes from the ground. He pointed out a footprint to Connor, explaining in a low voice how they could tell that it was new and how it clearly indicated that the person who had left it had had their hands bound.

Nigel and Sydney walked back towards the village, feeling defeated. 

"There any ruins around?" Sydney asked Nigel as they walked. He had remained in the village, researching places where Brenna could have been taken. "Caves?"

Nigel nodded. "One or two good possibilities. I'll show you the maps when we get back."

"Um, cities where these Sidhe may dwell?" Sydney ventured.

"Not marked on any maps. And whatever the people may believe, Audra does _not_ think that they would have taken two people, one from the village itself." He sighed.

"What does Audra think, then?" Sydney asked, shaking her head in frustration. "That _Eala_ managed to overpower Brenna and take her off somewhere against her will? Nigel, the two of us together couldn't do that and we both know it."

"But there may be other factors at work..." a third voice contributed.

Sydney and Nigel both jumped at the intrusion.

"_Bridgit, jeez!_" Sydney exclaimed, shaking her head. "Trying to give me a heart-attack?"

"After I went to all that trouble to keep you from death last time?" The redhead shook her head, her green eyes belying her casual tone and mild words.

Sydney stared at her. "How serious is this?"

"Audra is afraid..." Bridgit said simply, as though that alone was indication enough. 

"Horrified is more like it..." Nigel muttered. "She's been holding out on us, Syd. Her and Brenna both." He glanced at Bridgit, frowning suddenly. "You, too, I suspect."

"I have told you all that I know, Nigel. Lying is not in my nature." She paused, looking thoughtful. "Audra and Brenna, though, almost certainly _have_ been keeping information from you."

"You could have told us..." Sydney told her.

Bridgit ignored the reproach. "They are both afraid, and that speaks ill. I can feel Brenna..." She touched her hand to her chest, obviously fighting tears. "Such horror... shame, too. She believes she has failed me."

Nigel and Sydney both stared at her. Nigel absently offered her a handkerchief. "You can feel what she's feeling?" he asked.

"All my Devout, yes. Thank you." Bridgit accepted the handkerchief. "I can not... locate her. I... That is... _not_ normal... Something is wrong. Tell Audra what I have told you. Tell her the child lives still, but Brenna does not believe she will live for long..." Bridgit trailed off, handing the handkerchief back to Nigel, touching his forehead lightly with two fingers. "Tell her these things, my son."

"Why won't you help us?" Sydney demanded, frustrated.

"If I could, I would!" Bridgit snapped, shaking her head.

Sydney and Nigel both recoiled. As gentle as she normally was, Bridgit was still a goddess, and when she was angry it showed. Her beautiful red hair seemed to have actually _become_ living flame, and her eyes burned with rage. Her size seemed to triple despite the fact that her height had not changed. Nigel was not entirely sure, but he thought he saw sorrow in those angry eyes for a split-second before she vanished in a flash of fire.

"Whoa..." Sydney muttered, shaking her head.

"She's frustrated..." Nigel said softly.

"Obviously. And you know, Nigel, that scares me."

"Scared me, too, Syd..." he assured her.

"No, Nigel, not that little display." Sydney shook her head. "The fact that whatever's going on is beyond her power to fix. _That_ scares me."

Nigel exhaled heavily, his eyes wide. He had not looked at it like that before, but Sydney was absolutely correct. "Come on, let's go talk to Audra."

"You know..." Sydney said as they walked. "I got the impression that the little that she told us was more than she really should have..." She frowned thoughtfully. "She was having a lot of trouble getting it out."

"She was upset, Syd..." Nigel pointed out.

She shook her head. "Felt like there was more to it than that... I don't know, Nigel." She shrugged as they approached Audra's hut. "Come on."

"Ah, thank you for coming, Sydney." Audra smiled anxiously at her. "Did... did Nigel tell you about Eala?"

Sydney nodded. "She's missing as well, yeah."

"We saw Bridgit, Audra..." Nigel told her quietly. "She said... she said Brenna is still alive, but she's scared and... she feels like she has failed the people."

Audra closed her eyes, relief at the first part of Nigel's statement washed away at the second pronouncement and replaced with pain so severe that it felt as though someone had run her through with a sword. She looked up at Nigel, finally. "Is there more?"

Nigel considered holding the rest back, but recalled how important Bridgit seemed to think it was for Audra to know. "She said...  um..." Nigel paused, trying to recall the exact words. "Her exact words: 'the child lives still, but Brenna does not believe she will live for long'. Does that mean something, Audra?"

"Uh, I don't..."

"Funny syntax..." Nigel said abruptly.

Sydney stared at him as if he were insane. "_Nigel!_ Can we please _focus _here?"

Nigel shook his head. "I mean it, Syd. Bridgit's syntax is invariably flawless... I... I remember it... it's the first thing I noticed about her..." he admitted bashfully.

Sydney could not help but laugh at that admission. Trust him to overlook the great figure, amazing hair, and gorgeous eyes in favor of a woman's _speech patterns_. "You need help, man..." she told him, shaking her head.

"Syd, listen to me... Bridgit does not use bad syntax. She just... _doesn't_."

"So? She was upset this time and did. Big deal."

"Possibly, yes..." Audra said simply. "Possibly a very big deal indeed."

Sydney stared at her. "Okay, someone want to share with the slow kid?"

"What if there's a message in there... something she couldn't tell us directly?" Nigel asked. "You yourself _said_ that you thought she had said more than she should have. What if..."

"Secret message?" Sydney asked, considering. "Maybe... some kind of code?"

Nigel shook his head. "I don't think so... Just... a different meaning that could be derived. 'The child still lives, but Brenna does not believe she will for long'... Why  not just say 'Brenna is still alive, but she does not think she will be for much longer'? Or just 'Brenna does not believe she will live long'?"

"Two different subjects!" Sydney exclaimed, nodding. "The child and Brenna. Two different people!"

Nigel nodded. "Yes. Eala and Brenna."

"Eala is still alive..." Sydney said, nodding. "But Brenna doesn't think she will be for long."

"Brenna doesn't think that Brenna will be alive for long?" Nigel asked, frowning. "Or Brenna doesn't think that _Eala_ will be alive for long?" 

"Why would Eala be in danger of dying?" Sydney asked. She glanced up at Audra.

"She's found the Book..."

"_What_ book?" Sydney asked, frowning.

"The... the Book of Shadows, it is called now. It... Brenna was afraid that you were after it. Eala encouraged her in this belief."

Sydney frowned, thinking about the sweet, helpful girl she had met the day before, the girl who had seemed so anxious when she had told them that Brenna planned on harming them. "And she told _us_ that Brenna was going to try to kill us. She was playing us against each other..." Sydney sighed, disgusted that she had let herself be taken in by Eala's act.

Nigel shook his head. "Buying herself time, no doubt." He looked at Audra. "Could _she_ have called us here?"

"If she has the Book of Shadows, yes."

"I don't understand..." Sydney protested. "A Book of Shadows is... harmless! Wiccans record their spells and recipes in them... You speak of this thing like it's..."

"The most evil tome imaginable. It is..." Audra told her. "That it shares a name with an innocuous volume that exists on your world means nothing here. It is not a book of evil spells, it _is_ evil. Already Eala has become corrupted by it. A sweeter child you could  not have known, but see now what she is capable of, to _attack_ a priestess of our Lady..." Audra shook her head, closing her eyes. "Dark, dark magic... Dark places... it was originally called the Book of Dark Places. Later, the Book of Darkness. At some point, it entered the popular mythology as Book of Shadows, independently of how a book in your culture came by the same name."

"What is it?" Sydney asked. "How did it come into existence?"

"It is said that every evil god in every pantheon from every time the world over collaborated in its creation. It is written in a dozen different languages, spells and ritual stolen from a dozen faiths and twisted into something ugly..."

"Bridgit said something very like that the other day..." Nigel murmured, frowning thoughtfully. "Something about magic being beautiful, but its _intent_ being twisted about somehow. She seemed very upset as I recall." He glanced at Sydney. "Not upset like she was today, but _sad_..."

"There is reputed to be a spell that can give a mortal divine power..." Audra whispered.

Sydney and Nigel gaped at her.

Audra nodded and continued. "Sacrifice is involved."

"Human sacrifice?" Sydney asked.

Audra nodded. "Not to begin with, but yes. The spells... they start off seeming harmless. The early spells in the Book are simple and harmless. A drop of your blood, the proper forms and ceremonies and you become more beautiful. But they do not _stay _harmless. Next you find yourself sacrificing livestock for wealth or blighting the harvest for knowledge. Then you drain the strength from your neighbors to add to your own... Every page is darker than the last, but by small degrees."

"And before you know it, you're in over your head..." Sydney muttered. "It's like a drug addiction..."

"Exactly." Audra nodded. 

"And this is... beyond Bridgit's power?" Nigel asked softly.

Audra nodded. "No good god can interfere in this without being called upon to."

"Then let's _call_!" Sydney said, shrugging.

"It is not so easy. The only ceremony that will work..."

"Is in the bloody Book?" Nigel guessed, shaking his head.

Audra nodded. "Yes. And it requires a sacrifice."

"But... in sacrificing to one of these good gods, aren't you..." Sydney trailed off, uncertain how to express it.

"To take the life of another is unforgivable..." Audra said simply. "The gods are bound by rules, as any mortal is. When the Dark Ones created the book, they _had_ to include a way to allow the Holy Ones to intervene."

"So they came up with history's first legal loophole..." Sydney muttered in disgust.

"Yes." Audra nodded. "Eala can _not_ be allowed to complete the ceremony that will allow her Transcendence. It is against every natural law and _all_ will suffer for it..."

"How long do we have?" Sydney asked.

Audra considered. "She has not yet translated the text, that much is certain. There will be omens before she even begins. As long as the sun shines by day and the moon by night, there _is_ still time."

Sydney nodded. "Um... Nigel said there are a few places she might be. Let's round up the villagers and storm the castle."

"Uh, Syd, that's going to be a problem..." Nigel muttered quietly.

"_What?_" Sydney demanded, staring from Nigel to Audra.

Nigel explained quickly and quietly. "No villager will go near one of the locations. It's a ruined temple on extremely evil, unhallowed ground."

"Sounds like our best shot, then." Sydney nodded. "She won't be counting on company. That gives us the advantage."

"Audra, is this place actually dangerous?" Nigel asked her gently.

"I have no way of knowing." She shook her head. "But... Eala's powers will be immense there."

"Can she be saved at this point?" Sydney asked.

Nigel stared at her with wide eyes. "Syd, you can't actually mean to..."

"Kill her if I have to, yes." She nodded firmly. 

"Bloody hell, Syd, this isn't a joke! She's a _child_!"

"She is a _monster_..." Audra replied. "But she may yet be saved."

"How?" Sydney asked.

"Only by an act of love."

"Not another damned act of love!" Sydney snapped, storming out of the hut.

"Syd!" Nigel called, startled. He gave Audra an apologetic shrug then hurried to catch up with her. "Sydney!"

"Nigel..." she began.

"What did you mean? 'Not another act of love'?" he asked, frowning and feeling hurt. The last one had saved her life and ultimately brought them together. "Syd..." he said softly, touching her cheek gently. "What's wrong."

"The last one... you could have died."

"But I didn't. I was never in any real danger." This much was true even if he would never forget the pain and he still occasionally woke up in a cold sweat from nightmares about being boiled alive.

"Yeah, _that_ time you weren't. Who's to say this time, though?"

"Who's to say that she meant me?" Nigel asked reasonably. "Syd, this... whatever it is, it can _not_ be allowed to happen. We both know that."

"I don't want to lose you, Nigel. Not when I just found you." She shook her head.

"You won't, I promise. Not ever." He gave her a small smile. "I like to think that there'll always be a piece of me here." He gently rested his hand over her heart.

Sydney nodded and kissed him. When she finally had to release the breathless and dazed man, she asked, "So, where's this ruin?"

"Audra has a map inside..." he managed, staring at her with wide eyes.

"I'll get it." She grinned at him. "Catch your breath."

"Thanks, Syd..."

"My pleasure..." she assured him with a wink before reentering the hut. "Sorry about that..." she told Audra.

"I understand. Bridgit has told me of your concerns for him."

"Are they valid?" Sydney asked.

"The act of love will not fall to either of you..." Audra said simply, handing Sydney the map. "Good luck to you."

"Thank you." Sydney turned to leave. "What will you tell the other villagers?"

"I do not yet know. I will call them back now, though, if you do not mind. There is no point in them searching needlessly."

Sydney nodded. "Yeah. So... she can be saved?"

"She was a good child. I must believe some spark of that remains."

Sydney nodded. "We'll do everything we can."

"Thank you. Blessings on you."

Sydney nodded and left the hut. "Ready to move, Nigel."

"Kiss for luck wouldn't be out of order..." he suggested, grinning.

Sydney put her hands on her hips, staring at him and shaking her head. "You..."

"That a yes?" Nigel asked, laughing softly.

She nodded and held out her arms. "Come here."

Nigel smiled and slid his arms around her waist. "You know, Syd..." he muttered once they had kissed, not releasing her immediately. "Somehow rushing blindly into the jaws of death just doesn't seem as bad any more..."

Sydney laughed. "We'd better get rushing, then... Who knows how much of that book she's managed to translate."

Nigel nodded and consulted the map. "That a way." He pointed. He grinned at Sydney. "Ladies first."

She shook her head and started off. Nigel fell in step next to her, grinning and keeping on eye on the map and one on Sydney. After a few minutes, they heard a horn.

"That's Audra calling the villagers home..." Sydney told him. "We're on our own."

"Just you and me, Syd. Exactly as it was meant to be." He smiled, feeling oddly upbeat.

"Better to get them out of the... crossfire. Or whatever there's going to be instead of a crossfire."

"Not sure we want to know..." Nigel told her.

"You don't."

"Bridgit! Could you _stop_ doing that please?" Sydney demanded, shaking her head and lowering the crossbow she had instinctively raised.

"You won't be needing that where you're going. I'll take it." Bridgit extended her hand, palm-up waiting.

"No way." Sydney shook her head. "You think we're going in there unarmed--"

"Any weapon you bring into the temple can be used against you. Bring only what the Dark Ones can _not_ understand." She waited patiently while Sydney deliberated. "Was it not you, Professor Fox, who once said that you never carry a gun because the other guy always has a bigger one?"

Sydney shrugged and handed over the crossbow, bending and pulling the knives from her boots. "Nigel, you, too..." she muttered.

"Oh, bloody hell..." Nigel muttered, shaking his head and handing his weapons over. "This is insane..."

"Yes, it is..." Bridgit agreed. "The entire situation. I warn you again, bring into the temple only that which the Dark Ones can not understand."

"What the _hell_ is that supposed to mean?" Sydney asked, handing over the last of her weapons.

After a few moments of silence, Nigel asked, "You can't tell us, can you?"

"No, I can not. Good luck to you. I would recommend that each of you say a quick prayer to whoever it may be that you pray to."

"Will it help?" Sydney asked.

"It might." Bridgit shrugged. "Besides, piety is good for the soul." With that, she vanished.

Sydney shrugged and shook her head. "How far, Nigel?"

"Right over this rise. You reckon we _should_ say a quick prayer?"

"Can't hurt..." Sydney muttered, closing her eyes and bowed her head before beginning.

As Sydney prayed in her own way, Nigel crossed himself and uttered a quick mental plea, followed by the 23rd psalm. He waited for Sydney to finish, then glanced at her. She nodded once and they started towards the temple again. They paused when a cloud passed over the sun.

"Not another thunderstorm?" Sydney asked.

Nigel glanced up, shading his eyes with his hands. "Syd, I think we need to hurry..."

She stared skywards. "Eclipse. Damn. Come on..." She started forward.

"Syd..." Nigel quickly caught her hand. "Just in case anything happens, I want you to know... I love you."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I love you, too, Nigel. You're a good man."

"And you're an amazing woman. And together, there is _nothing_ we can not face." He smiled at her and took her hand in his. "Let's go prove it."

"Sounds like a plan." She nodded firmly, grinning.

Together, they started forward.


	9. Darkest Hour

**Chapter 9 -- Darkest Hour**

"And _that_ would be an earthquake..." Sydney muttered as the tremor in question nearly knocked them off their feet.

Nigel nodded in agreement. "Probably one of those omens that Audra was talking about."

They redoubled their pace, finally cresting the hill. 

"Jeez..." Sydney muttered, staring at the ruins that appeared beneath them. It was your standard stone circle, but it was, for lack of a better term, spooky as hell.

Nigel thought it reeked of menace. He pointed when he saw movement. "That must be Eala. Are we going to be able to surprise her?"

"Somehow, I doubt that her attention's on anything other than that book right now, Nigel..." Sydney muttered, squeezing his hand and urging him down the hill.

They descended together, hand in hand in spite of the danger that such a climb posed with earthquakes shaking the ground all around them every few seconds. The standing stones should have been leveled by the powerful tremors, but seemed immune. As they approached it, the air grew heavy around them. It bore an undeniable smell of death and, as Sydney found herself struggling to breathe, Nigel found himself struggling to keep the contents of his stomach _in_ his stomach. Still each clasped the other's hand firmly as they approached. 

Sydney pulled Nigel to a stop just outside of the stone circle, pulling him behind a pillar so Eala could not see them.

"No fear, Nigel..." she whispered

"What?" he hissed.

"Bridgit's advice. Don't take in anything that the Dark Ones will understand. She was _not_ just talking about weapons. Fear, Nigel."

"Oh, bloody hell, Syd..." He shook his head. "You can't ask me _not_ to be afraid... I mean, I'll go in... but..." 

"Nigel..." Sydney shook her head. "Come on. You can do this. I know you can. Just have faith."

"Faith in what? A goddess who can't help us? A God I've never seen?"

"Have faith in _me_." Sydney smiled at him. "That I won't let anything happen to you."

Nigel nodded. How many life-and-death situations had Sydney rescued him from in three years? What was there to fear from one more. "_That_ I can do." He smiled at her and squeezed her hand lightly. "I love you, Syd."

"I love you, too, Nigel." She smiled at him for a moment. "Let's go."

Nigel nodded and they walked into the circle together, hand in hand. Brenna stared at them, wide eyed, and shook her head rapidly. Sydney made a reassuring gesture and swept her eyes around the ruin. Eala was at the altar, bent over the Book. She touched Nigel's shoulder and nodded towards Brenna. He nodded silently and crept towards the bound woman. Sydney circled until she knew that Eala would have to turn her back to Brenna and Nigel in order to look at her.

"Hey, Eala... Glad to see you pursuing that whole scholar thing we talked about!" she called loudly.

Eala spun to face her, placing the altar between herself and Sydney. "Ah, Scholar Fox. So glad you could make it. I'm still unclear on a few passages. Care to advise me?" she asked, her voice cold.

"Sure, why not?" Sydney nodded and cautiously approached. "My first piece of advice is that a girl your age should be more interested in boys than in attaining Divinity." She smiled at Eala, hazarding a quick glance at Nigel who was still struggling with Brenna's bindings.

"You're the one who suggested I... expand my horizons." Eala smiled at her. "You know, there's nothing that says we can't share the secrets of the Book of Shadows. I'm not greedy. All I want is knowledge."

"Then why are you shooting for Godhood?" Sydney demanded, folding her arms over her chest.

Eala rolled her eyes. "You're as bad as Brenna. What about your friend? Maybe he'll be more willing. Men are easier to manipulate, anyway. All you have to do is look sweet and innocent and offer them something they can get from any woman."

"Nigel's a little tougher than that to bribe..." Sydney assured her, placing both hands on the altar.

Eala grabbed the book and hugged it to her chest. "Fine. Then I will offer you his _life_ in exchange for your help. How does that sound?"

"Oh, it would be great if he weren't the linguist in the team." Sydney shook her head. "You actually thought we'd help you?" she asked, buying time for Nigel. 

"I assumed you to be reasonable enough to know that I would offer you some prize in return. After all, isn't that all you Relic Hunters care for?"

"No. Some things are more important. We won't help you. Neither of us."

"Then your blood will purchase my Divinity." Eala placed the book back on the altar and casually spoke a few words.

Nigel did not recognize the language, but it sent chills down his spine. Or maybe it was just the bitingly cold wind that was suddenly whistling all around them. In fact, as Eala chanted, the wind became stronger and colder, and it was not the only weather phenomena unfolding around them. Dark, billowing clouds gathered in the sky, starting directly above the temple but quickly dominating the entire sky. Lightening flashed perilously close and thunder drowned out the sound of Eala's chanting.

Nigel paused in his attempts to untie Brenna as a coil of rope rose from the altar and snaked around Sydney. Brenna hissed to catch his attention before he could call out to her. He nodded and returned to the ropes, aware that Brenna was likely Sydney's last hope. She was, he suspected, _everyone's_ last hope. The last coil gave way and Brenna shrugged the ropes off, flexing her hands to restore circulation.

She drew Nigel close. "See to your love and leave Eala to me..." she told him in a low voice.

"Audra says she can still be saved..." he whispered.

She nodded. "I know. I will do my best."

"Audra said--"

Brenna pressed two fingers to his lips. "I know..." She sighed. "I am sorry that I ever suspected the two of you."

"Eala was playing us all..." he told her as quietly as he could while still managing to make himself heard over the whistling wind. "No ill will."

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you. Go to her."

Nigel nodded and started towards Sydney, staying low to the ground and hugging the inner perimeter of the temple.

"It will take more blood than hers to buy what you seek, Eala..." Brenna announced, holding the rope that had so recently bound her behind her back.

Eala turned casually towards Brenna, raising an eyebrow but not otherwise reacting. "Ah, so the scribe _is _about. Splendid. I can use him."

"Use him and throw him away?" Brenna asked, taking a few slow steps forward. "As you did me?"

"I have not yet _begun_ to use you..." Eala assured her in a low voice. "Your magic will fuel the transformation that her blood makes possible. See, I've thought about this, and killing you would just be... too quick. Better you should live to see your failure, stripped of your powers."

"My powers come from our Lady. You can _not_ take them from me!"

"Why ever not? I've been siphoning off of you and Audra for months now..."

"We know..." Brenna told her simply. 

As Eala started to react to that statement, Brenna pulled the rope from behind her back, flicking it at Eala like a whip. The rope coiled around the girl's body once, then continued to coil around her, pinning her arms to her side.

"That's why Audra taught me a Binding spell..." Brenna concluded. "I call upon the Old Ones and the Guardians of the Four Watchtowers to bear witness to these acts of mine. Eala, daughter of Gregory and Iona, I bind you! I bind you, Eala, from working harm through magic, by word or deed. I bind you, Eala, from working harm against yourself or others in this world or the other. I bind you, and in binding you, I bind myself against these same things. May my work this day bring about no evil on this world or the other. I bind you. This is my Will, and my Will may defy that of the Elements themselves!" 

Trembling and staggering, drained by the spell, Brenna closed the distance between herself and Eala, bearing the girl gently to the ground. 

Eala smiled at her. "You are too late. It is begun." 

Brenna sobbed softly, but hurried to the altar and began flipping through the book as Nigel untied Sydney. "The Transformation has already begun!" she yelled as Nigel helped Sydney to her feet.

"Then it's too late?" Sydney asked, stunned.

Nigel covered his mouth with one hand, shaking his head. "No... It _can't_ end like this..."

Brenna exhaled deeply before speaking. "Nor shall it. There is a way."

"You mean the spell?" Nigel asked. "To call on the good gods? That won't work. It requires a sacrifice and if you kill someone..."

"They will abandon me, I know. Still there shall be a sacrifice, but I will take no other life."

"_Suicide?_" Sydney asked, staring.

"Sacrifice." Brenna found the proper page and began chanting.

"No!" Nigel shouted. He ran with Sydney towards the woman and tore the book from her hands. "You can't do this! You have no guarantee..."

"Of anything. _Ever_ in this life. That changes nothing. If the transformation is completely, millions will die, in both worlds. I will die either way, and this way, I may still say that I have not failed my people."

Nigel shook his head, tears in his eyes. "There _has_ to be another way..."

"Have you never been willing to sacrifice your life for anything?" Brenna asked him.

"Once..." he admitted, nodding and glancing at Sydney. 

"Then you understand why I must do this."

He nodded weakly and extended his hand. Brenna took it and shook it firmly, then returned her attention to the book. She started chanting in a low voice, but she quickly gained in both confidence and volume.

"I can't believe that we have to let her do this..." Nigel muttered to Sydney.

"I know..." She nodded weakly and slid her arms around her waist, needing comfort as badly as she wanted to give it. "It _can't_ end like this..." she whispered, shaking her head.

"Oh, God, Syd..." he muttered, staring at Brenna through tear-filled eyes. "I can't believe that Bridgit would let it be like this..."

"She doesn't have a choice. She's not all-powerful." She shivered as an icy gust whipped through the temple. Her clothes were not designed for cold weather and did nothing to keep out the wind.

Seeing her shiver, Nigel slipped out of his jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders before pulling her closer. "This is _wrong_..." he growled, shaking his head in frustration. "What kind of sense does a universe make that allows something like this to happen?" He turned to face Brenna, who continued to chant, ignoring them completely. "Brenna..." he whispered, extending his hand to her.

Although she could not possibly have heard his whisper over the wind, she looked up at him, not pausing in her chant. Seeing his obvious distress, she gave them a gentle, reassuring smile, the kind that a mother gives to a child afraid of the monsters under the bed. She turned her face skyward, chanting on and ignoring the bolt of lightening that hit the ground less than five feet from her. Nigel and Sydney jumped backwards, startled. Brenna gave them a last smile, then raised her hands skyward, palms up. She continued chanting, her voice raising in volume until she was virtually shouting, every word clearly distinguishable over the howling wind. 

She finished chanting as abruptly as if something had cut off the sound of her voice. Turning to face Sydney and Nigel, ignoring Eala who had finally managed to shake off the last of her ropes, she brought her hands together sharply over her head. The resultant sound, louder than a thunderclap, knocked everyone in the temple to the ground, including Brenna herself. Sydney was the first to try to climb to her feet, so she was the only one who saw the lightening-bolt clearly. It was not yellow or blue like most lightening-bolts, but blood-red. And it hit Brenna squarely, causing her entire body to spasm and then be still.

Abruptly, there was silence. The wind stilled, the thunder stopped rumbling. The only sound that either Sydney or Nigel could hear was the pounding of their own hearts and their ragged breathing. The silence was deafening, oppressive, and more foreboding than the previous cacophony.

"Brenna!" Eala shouted, breaking the silence. She rushed to Brenna's side.

"Get away from her!" Sydney ordered, scrambling over to them and pulling Eala away from Brenna's prone form. "Nigel!"

Nigel was at Brenna's side in a heartbeat, feeling for a pulse. His low moan was clearly audible in the starkly quiet temple as he glanced up at Sydney and slowly shook his head.

"Brenna..." Eala whispered, tears streaming down a face that once again seemed more childlike than adult.

"Was it worth this price, daughter?" a low voice asked.

All three turned to face the source of the strangely familiar voice. A woman, wearing a flowing gown of grays and blues, stood in the center of the temple, taking in the scene before her with sad eyes. Her hair was the same shade of gray as her dress, her eyes strikingly green. She was ancient. Ageless. Beautiful...

"There was a time when you called her friend and _meant_ it, daughter..." the old woman continued in a low voice.

"Bridgit..." Nigel breathed, recognizing her eyes.

"My child." She nodded in quiet acknowledgement before returning her attention to Eala. "It is not too late for you, daughter. You can still stop this."

Eala took several steps towards Bridgit, falling on her knees before the old woman. "All I ever wanted was knowledge..." she whimpered, shaking her head.

"There are other ways to attain this. And more important things, besides. Brenna understood this." Bridgit bent and pulled the girl gently to her feet. "There is no penance that can begin to compensate for the harm you have caused here today. But you may still save your own soul."

Eala glanced at Brenna, tears forming in her eyes. "Anything. Anything at all."

"Give back what you have taken. Destroy the Book."

Eala nodded and pulled the book from Brenna's lifeless hands. She placed it on the altar, resting both hands upon it and closing her eyes. Nigel and Sydney watched, awed, as a golden glow appeared beneath her hands, first illuminating the volume, then consuming it. It grew stronger, making the book impossible to discern amid the blinding glow. As abruptly as it had begun, it faded. The book was nowhere in sight and Eala was forced to hold onto the altar for support.

"Do not seek support from anything in this evil place..." Bridgit told her. "Better to crawl on the ground."

Eala nodded and let go of the altar, falling to her knees and clutching her head between her hands, groaning.

"Nigel, my child, help her from this place. Sydney, child, help him."

"But..." Nigel began, gesturing to Brenna.

"Leave her."

"But..." he protested.

Bridgit approached him, gently resting her hands on his shoulder. "She loved her people so much that she was willing to give her life for them. There is no greater act of love than this. It shall not go un-noted. Take Eala from this place. She is weak and requires care from Audra."

"She _deserves_..." Sydney began, only to be cut off by a gesture from Bridgit.

"She _will_ suffer for her actions. It is not yours to pass judgment or sentence. Eala has brought much misery on herself. This will be sufficient punishment. Take her from this place."

It was hard to contradict Bridgit's quiet, motherly tone. Sydney and Nigel walked to Eala and pulled her to her feet. It took both of them to support the obviously weakened girl. They helped her from the temple, tears in both of their eyes. Eala was crying as well, sobbing.

Nigel turned and watched Bridgit bend over and scoop Brenna gently into her arms, her lips moving as though she were speaking to her. He turned away, unable to look further.

"Let's go, Syd..." he muttered, sighing sadly.

***

Audra, working desperately to sooth the frightened villagers, broke off as soon as she saw Nigel and Sydney return, supporting Eala between them. She turned to the crowd, announcing that Brenna's sacrifice had saved them all, then hurried the three into her hut.

"I can't believe it..." Nigel muttered sadly as Audra worked on Eala. The girl had lapsed into unconsciousness shortly after they had left the temple and was showing no signs of reviving.

"I know..." Sydney, who had been pacing, sat down next to him and slid an arm around his shoulder, not sure what else _to_ do. "It just seems... wrong."

"It is not ours to question the will of the gods..." Audra whispered in response, her voice breaking. She rose from the bedside. "She will not live. She is too weak."

"Such a decisive statement..." a low voice muttered from the doorway. "And from one who _should_ know better than to call _anything_ certain."

They turned. Bridgit, in her old-woman aspect, had returned. Seeing Nigel, she extended her arms. The man rose and hugged her, weeping silently. She held him close for several minutes, murmuring soothingly, before gently pushing him back towards Sydney. When Nigel and Sydney had put their arms around each other again, Bridgit walked to the bed where Eala lay.

"It is beyond my power to help her..." Audra whispered. "Too much was taken from her."

Bridgit nodded. "The magic took almost every good thing from her, replacing it with evil. When she renounced that evil, there was nothing left."

"Did it _have_ to be this way?" Sydney demanded, frustrated.

Bridgit nodded. "Endings can not always be happy, even in a land of magic and fairies. Still... this ending might not be as bitter as it _could_." She turned to Audra. "Bring me a silver chalice, full of water."

Audra nodded and complied. Where her magic had failed, her Lady's would not. 

"What are you doing?" Sydney asked as Bridgit knelt next to the bed and lifted the girl into a sitting position.

"Saving her..." Bridgit whispered, lifting the chalice to Eala's mouth.

"After what happened to Brenna?" Sydney demanded, shaking her head.

"A dead body does not avenge any wrong..." Bridgit murmured under her breath. She looked up at Sydney. "Eala is guilty of terrible things, _yes_, but her death serves nothing. She may still prove a valuable member of this community."

"I can't believe you!" Sydney snapped. "You _bitch_."

"Syd..." Nigel muttered.

"First you put Nigel through the _crap_ you did, and now _this_?" She shook her head.

Bridgit ignored her. "Drink and be healed, child..." she whispered to Eala, tilting the chalice and pouring its contents into the girl's mouth. Still unconscious, Eala choked and gagged as the water went down, but Bridgit ignored this. Returning Eala's head to the pillow, she lifted the chalice and emptied its contents onto the girl's face. "Be cleansed of the evil that has taken you, and embrace the goodness that you once called your own."

Eala coughed and sputtered as Bridgit poured the water onto her face. She opened her eyes, startled, and looked up at Bridgit, her eyes wide. "My... My Lady... Forgive me..." she whispered, tears once again forming in her eyes.

"I am not the one who has been wronged. Return to your home and rest. Speak to _no one_ of what has passed today."

Eala nodded and meekly left the hut, dripping water behind her.

"I guess one life saved is better than none..." Sydney muttered, shaking her head.

"Walk with me, my children..." Bridgit told them, leaving the hut.

Startled, Sydney, Nigel, and Audra followed. Bridgit walked swiftly and without looking back. The others had to run to keep up. She led them to her sacred place, where Nigel had first encountered Bridgit in Avalon. Brenna's body lay in the center of the clearing, barefoot, dressed in a white gown, flowers in her hair and hands, a small smile on a pale face made beautiful by death. Audra let out a strangled sob and rushed to the body, pulling it into her arms and holding it close.

"Audra?" Brenna groaned, her eyes fluttering open.

"She was _alive_?" Sydney demanded of Bridgit. "You put us through that knowing she was alive?"

Bridgit shook her head. "Brenna _did_ give her life to save her people. And she was given a choice. She chose life."

Nigel stared at Brenna, who looked... _different_, somehow. Audra was helping the younger woman to her feet. Brenna wore the most perfectly serene expression that Nigel had ever seen. _That_, he knew instinctively, was the face of a woman who had seen what was on the other side, who knew the shape of the universe, knew what was to be, and who was perfectly happy with it. It was the face of a woman who would never feel afraid or alone again. It was also the face of a woman who had given up something valuable beyond words in exchange for something perhaps more valuable.

Brenna noticed his scrutiny and smiled at him, a mysterious, knowing expression. "I am glad that I was wrong about you, Nigel Bailey. I would be honored now to call you my friend." 

He nodded and extended his hand, smiling uncertainly. "You're an amazing woman, Brenna."

"_You_ would have done the same." She smiled at him.

"Yeah, but I would have kicked up a lot more fuss about it."

"We all do things in our own way, Nigel Bailey."

"And you... you gave up--"

"Nigel, my child..." Bridgit murmured, shaking her head.

"But..." he began.

Bridgit shook her head. "This matter is between Brenna and myself. If she does not chose to share it with others, that _is_ her right."

"What?" Sydney asked, staring from Brenna to Bridgit. Looking at Bridgit, she asked, "What did you make her chose between? What is it with you and life-and-death decisions?"

Brenna spoke, turning her smile to Sydney. "Perhaps it is simply that they are the ones which matter." She smiled at Sydney. "I _was_ given a choice after my death." She nodded to Nigel. "He seems to know what it was, what I gave up. _And_ what I received in exchange."

"So spill it, Nigel..." Sydney suggested.

Brenna shook her head. "No. The choice was mine to make, and is mine to speak of. And I shall..." She paused, her serene expression replaced by an almost resigned one. "Bridgit and the others gave me a choice between life and Godhood. I surprised them all."

Bridgit smiled proudly. "Not all. I knew you would chose wisely, my daughter."

"You chose mortal life over Godhood?" Sydney asked, stunned.

Brenna nodded. "I did. And it was the right decision." 

"Wow..." Sydney shook her head. "You _are_ amazing, Brenna."

Brenna smiled and bowed her head. "No. Simply attached to my people. It is my charge to watch over them, and I _will_ follow it."

Audra smiled at her. "You make me proud, child."

"I have learned from the very best..." Brenna told her. She shook Sydney's hand and Nigel's, then looked at Audra. "You should say goodbye."

"What?" Sydney asked, frowning.

"It is time for you to return home..." Brenna told her with a shrug. 

Sydney stared from Brenna to Bridgit. "I really don't understand."

Brenna smiled and nodded. "Eala called you here to help decipher the text. Now that it has been, the only thing holding you here is our Lady."

"So we can... go home now?" Nigel asked.

Bridgit nodded. "You may. Once all the goodbyes have been properly spoken."

Nigel smiled and quickly hugged Audra and Brenna. Laughing, Sydney followed suit. After many goodbyes and well-wishes, Audra and Brenna left the clearing together, leaving Sydney and Nigel alone with Bridgit.

"I can't believe that she gave up a chance to be a god..." Sydney muttered, shaking her head.

Bridgit smiled. "Nigel can explain this to you, I think."

"Me?" Nigel asked, shocked.

Bridgit nodded placidly. "You saw it in Brenna's eyes. I was greatly pleased with your insight. Rare in a mortal man."

Nigel smiled and ducked his head.

"_What _ did he see?" Sydney asked. "Nigel?"

He shrugged. "Being a god isn't all it's cracked up to be, Syd. There are... things that the gods can't really have. That only humans can."

"Like what?"

Nigel shrugged. "Close friends, a real family. Love, Syd."

Sydney stared from Nigel to Bridgit. "Gods are incapable of love?"

"Not at all." Bridgit smiled. "It's just that all the good mortals are taken. Read your mythology, Professor. None of us are exactly lucky in matters of love." She shrugged. "Are you ready to return, then?"

Sydney nodded. "Yeah, definitely." She shook Bridgit's hand.

Bridgit nodded. "Might I have a moment with Nigel?"

"Sure." Sydney shrugged and wandered off a few dozen yards.

"Will we see you again?" Nigel asked her.

"Probably not." Bridgit shook her head. "And if you do, you will not be allowed to recognize me. If intervention is required in the future, others shall take matters in hand."

Nigel sighed and nodded. "I'll miss you, Bridgit. You're a good friend."

"She is a lucky woman, you know..." Bridgit told him quietly.

"Syd?" Nigel glanced at her, nodding. "She's got a lot going for her."

"She has _you_. That makes her luckier than I shall ever be..." Bridgit gently kissed his forehead. "I don't suppose there's any point in offering..."

"None at all..." Nigel told her with an apologetic shrug. "Not that I'm not flattered, mind you, but..." He nodded towards Sydney.

Bridgit smiled and nodded, her eyes sad. "Be happy, my child."

"We will be..." he assured her, nodding.

"Good." Bridgit's smile became more cheerful. "Go to her, take her hand. Then both close your eyes." With these words, she vanished.

As Nigel walked towards Sydney, he swore he could have heard Bridgit's voice, whispering for him alone, "And remember, always, the power of what you have found with her..."

"Love..." Nigel muttered, nodding.

"What?" Sydney asked, turning towards him.

He smiled and extended his hands to her. "Take my hands, Syd."

"Okay." She smiled and slid her hands into his.

"Close your eyes..." he instructed her gently.

Sydney closed her eyes and abruptly found herself lost in his kiss. When she opened her eyes, she was standing in her office, hands still firmly clasped in Nigel's.

"What do you know? The Earth moved..." she chuckled softly.

Nigel flushed and grinned at her, but quickly changed the subject. "What day is it?" he asked, glancing at her desk calendar. 

"Not sure... Tuesday? Wednesday?"

"Now, see, right there is a sign that you're both working _way_ too hard..." a soft voice chuckled.

They turned and smiled at the middle-aged woman standing before them. Professor Eton, from the Linguistics department, smiled benignly at them.

"Oh, hi, Ro..." Nigel said with an anxious smile, quickly dropping Sydney's hands.

Rosie smiled back. "Word to the wise, Ni. Next time you decide to make out with Syd _on_ campus, make sure the outer door is _locked_..." She shook her head and clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

"You don't seem that surprised..." Sydney muttered, coloring.

"Well, it has been rather obvious since you returned from Turkey." Rosie smiled at them. "Don't worry. My lips are sealed. I'm inclined to think it's a stupid rule anyway. Nigel, are you done with that book I..." She trailed off, frowning. "Where's your cast?"

"Uh..." Nigel shifted uncomfortably.

Rosie tore her eyes from his bare feet long enough to take in the rest of their appearances. Their hair looked like they had just survived a tornado. Nigel's face sported a three-day's growth of beard. Both of their eyes were swollen and blood-shot. His jacket, wrapped around Sydney's shoulders, was torn and mud-splattered. Their clothes were in a similar state, disheveled, ragged, stained with mud and sweat. 

"And _why_ are your clothes in such a state?" Rosie asked, forgetting about Nigel's foot completely.

"All-nighter..." Nigel offered, grinning nervously. It was _technically_ true. After all, they had _not_ slept at all the night before.

"I think not." Rosie shook her head, amazed by the state they were in. She had seen them return from Relic Hunts where civil wars had broken out around their heads looking better than they looked now. "Not that it's really any of my business, but I worry about you, Ni."

"Everything's just fine, Ro..." he assured her, smiling.

Rosie stared from Nigel to Sydney, who just grinned and shrugged. She decided that whatever had happened, it was _not_ something she wanted to know about. Knowing that Nigel and Sydney had a relationship was one thing. Knowing that Nigel had not answered his phone for three days, that he apparently had not bathed or shaved in the same span, that he had been through an experience that had been punishing enough to put most of their previous adventures to shame, and that he had returned with a badly shattered ankle seemingly repaired completely... Better to just forget about it. That _and_ the fact that they had _not_ been in the office when she had let herself in... _Especially_ that fact.

"Just fine..." Sydney agreed with Nigel, nodding.

"Better than it used to be, even..." Rosie suggested with a smile, nodding towards his foot. "Ni, my book?"

"In my desk." Nigel quickly walked into his office and handed her the book. 'A Survey of Cuneiform in Sumerian Legal Documents'. "Thank you, Ro. It was a fascinating read."

"Helpful?"

"Infinitely." He nodded, still smiling anxiously at her.

"Good. I'll just... be on my way." Bemused, Rosie turned to leave the office, only pausing at the door long enough to say, "Monday..." over her shoulder as she left.

**The End**


End file.
